When the Sun Rose
by Vintage Taylor
Summary: Sequel for "Walking Towards the Sunset". Since the defeat of Kid Buu, the Z Fighters have all taken different paths for power. Only a Saiyan from the sky, the God of Destruction, a visitor from the future, the Pendulum Room, two births, fusions, and the resurrection of the source of Bardock's hatred can bring them all together. Yup. Just another normal day. ("Tarble" - Super)
1. Eyesight and Hindsight

**A/N** : If you are here, it's most likely because you read Walking Towards the Sunset and you're still giving me a chance.

 **ALSO, I started this journey before Dragon Super came out or at least while it was still in the early stages. There's a lot of differences such Pan's age during certain sagas, and Bulla's/Bra's birth happening earlier than usual as well. Other than that, I have been following everything pretty closely but with my own twists.**

ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY!

* * *

 _It was the worst idea in history._

 _When you put my father and Vegeta together in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, it is no longer a training session. It is a year long war with no victor. I swear Vegeta was on the verge of becoming a Super Saiyan 3, while Gramps..._

 _Well. Gramps never ascended to the next level. He definitely has more power, I think, but he's so slooooooow. And that makes him pissed. Which makes me miserable - I was a punching bag for an entire year! I know, I know. He's always making a point not to go easy on him, but I feel so bad for Gramps sometimes... I couldn't help it._

 _He's already strangely depressed over the fact I'm leaving to college in a month; even Mom is taking it easier than him! Even Goten, for crying out loud! But Gramps...he hasn't even looked me in the eye ever since I told him about Videl and me moving into the house Mr. Satan built for us just so we can be closer to the university._

 _Man, this sucks... I just wish he could talk to me at least. I don't think his strange attitude is about me leaving, but something he saw in his final vision he's been so hush hush about. Maybe-_

"Whatcha doin', Gohan!?"

The eighteen year old dragged his pen across his notebook after being startled by the joyous, yet surprisingly loud, voice coming from behind him. A smile crossed Gohan's face when he noticed that Goten was wearing the Saiyan armor Bulma had constructed for him to resemble Bardock's as an early birthday present. "If you had a scar on your face, you'd look just like Gramps, little man!"

Goten beamed proudly, raising his chin up high while placing his hands on his hips. "You really think so, Gohan!?"

"You bet!" the older brother laughed, closing his notebook. "I was just writing to clear my mind."

The child frowned, noticing that his brother suddenly took on a serious expression. Resting his chin on the top of his desk, Goten looked up at Gohan with his puppy dog eyes his grandfather absolutely loathed. "What's wrong?"

The teen tapped his pen against the desk rapidly, matching the pace of his foot that was doing the same. He let out a long, ragged sigh before settling his eyes on a cup full of writing utensils and scissors. "Has... Gramps mentioned anything to you? About me?"

"Hmmmmm," the boy hummed dramatically while his eyes rolled to the back of his head to think deeply about his brother's question. Once he came to, he slammed his fist on Gohan's cramped desk. "Nope! Why!?"

"He hasn't talked to me and-"

"Oh! Wait!" Goten pipped up, stopping his brother from rambling. "He did say something!"

Gohan blinked, straightening up in his seat and giving his full attention to his little brother. "...What did he say?"

The teen had to stifle in some laughter as Goten crossed his arms over his chest in a typical Bardock fashion; adding a scowl for perfect imitation. "Your god damn brother is the strongest out of all of us without even trying, and he's picking schooling and his girlfriend over training! Doesn't he know what's coming!? But it's not like he cares! He'd rather be knee deep in Videl's-"

"GOTEN!"

The boy covered his mouth with both hands as Chi-Chi stood in the doorway while Gohan was reddening. "I'm sorry, Mama!" came a muffled voice. "I was just trying to tell Gohan what Grandpa said!"

"Don't you ever repeat what that thug says," Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed, and Gohan could tell she was making a mental note in her head to strangle him later. The woman noticed the look on her oldest son's face and sighed, momentarily dropping the fact that the youngest was using profanity. "Goten, can you go help Grandma with lunch? I need to talk to Gohan for a minute."

Thankful for being let off the hook, the boy flew up and kissed his mama's cheek before hauling it out of there. Chi-Chi walked over to the man in his wheelie chair and placed a loving hand on his tense shoulder. "You know Bardock doesn't mean what he says... He's just having a hard time with the idea that you're leaving him, that's all."

Gohan let out a breath, finally feeling his face return to a normal color. He knew for a fact that Bardock was fine with the decision he was making with life, they talked about it numerous times. As long as he promised to be there when called, Gohan was free to do as he pleased. Besides, Bardock had Goku, Vegeta, and Gotenks - especially Gotenks. The teen still couldn't believe how seriously the boys had taken the training in the chamber. Still, he knew his grandfather was silently hurt.

He cleared his throat before giving Chi-Chi's soapy hand a squeeze. "I know, Mom. I know. But it's not like I'm moving to a new planet or something. I'll only be a one minute flight away. There _has_ to be something else..."

Chi-Chi bit her bottom lip, remembering standing beside Bardock when he had the final vision. It took a lot of coercing, but he finally spilled the beans. Sure, there was some God of Destruction coming in a couple of years that he was totally freaking out about that could kill them all, but Chi-Chi was hooked on the other part of his news.

She was going to be grandmother!

Her oldest baby was going to have a baby!

The pure excitement of it all nearly caused the woman to keel over with joy! It was killing her that Gohan was leaving home, but he was leaving with Videl - and that meant her grandbaby would eventually find his or her way to her arms! Still, the housewife couldn't spoil it all... "Oh, honey. Your grandfather will get over it. In the meantime," she smiled devilishly, causing her son to raise a suspicious eyebrow as she whipped out a catalog from the inside of her dress pocket. "Why don't you look at engagement rings for Videl?"

"WHAT!?" the boy fell out of his chair, twitching underneath the black leather while his mom rolled her eyes. He was fuming as she helped him to his feet. "Ma! You can't be serious! We're barely going into college, for crying out loud!"

"Oh, relax," she patted the top of the jewelry catalog on the desk. "You can't have a baby unless you're married first. I just won't have it any other way." She winced at the accidental mention of the secret word, and scurried out of the room to leave a stuttering Gohan behind.

"A-a-..Baby!?" he cried, starting to get hysterical as he raised his arms in the air. "A baby!? Has this whole family gone mad!? Gosh.." he lifted up his chair only to sit back down in it again with a scowl on his face. Shaking his head once the giant ring on the cover of the catalog caught his eye, he picked up the magazine and brought it close to his face while squinting. "Two point fifty carat diamond-"

"Why are you holding that so close to your face, kiddo?"

The teen let out a yelp and through the magazine down quickly. Flustered, he glanced at the doorway to see his grandmother standing there with a sincerely confused look, along with cake batter, on her face. "Uh.. Grandma? Ya got a little something there."

Gine laughed and wiped the bit of chocolate by her lip off with her index finger. Rubbing the chocolaty finger on her red apron to make it go away, she continued to eye her grandson suspiciously. "Are you losing your eyesight or something?"

"Truthfully?" he frowned when she nodded. "Yeah... My vision has gotten kinda bad ever since the fight with Buu. I think he punched me in the eyes or something but I was too frustrated to realize the impact of it all-"

"Do you need glasses?"

"Wha-!? No!" Gohan pleaded, getting to his feet quickly when he realized his grandma was getting ready to shout. "I'm fine!"

"CHI-CHI!"

"Grandma!"

"WHAT!?"

"GOHAN NEEDS GLASSES!"

Knowing he could never catch a break, the teen lowered his head while listening to the foot steps of his mother coming down the hall from the kitchen. "Grandma..." he mumbled, looking at her new white boots that Mr. Satan's money had bought her to go with her dark jeans. Unlike her husband, Gine gave up the Saiyan armor when she realized she had other options. "Why did you do that?"

Gine frowned, raising his chin up with her other index finger that wasn't previously chocolaty. "If you keep straining yourself, you're going to get a headache, mister! And that's no good for a person who is going to be studying for the next four years!"

Gohan was about to reply to her when Chi-Chi finally entered. Before he knew it, his eyes were being examined by both of the women in his home until Chi-Chi clicked her tongue. "Oh no, no, no. This certainly won't do. You're going to head into town and get some frames."

"Aw, Mom..."

"You will do as your told," Gine nodded with a wink. She waited until the satisfied Chi-Chi left again to whisper in the teen's ear. "Go take the grumpster with you. I think it will do you both some good."

"Hm?" Gohan blinked, pulling himself away from her so he could look the tiny Saiyan woman fully. "Do you really think Gramps will go with me?"

"Not willingly, no," Gine winked again. "But your grandma has her ways. Just ask him. He's outside right now being a weirdo as usual."

* * *

 _Stupid ass kid..._

Bardock was out on the grass, doing a supported shoulder stand with his right leg behind his head. Goku and Goten were behind him, finishing their fifth plate of Chi-Chi's rice and fish combination. His left leg was straight up in the air; and he was watching the clouds in the sky with a trademark scowl.

 _He thinks he can just fucking leave me like this.._

"Your butt is facing us, Grandpa!" Goten giggled loudly, throwing rocks at said butt.

"I hope you change your direction, Dad!" Goku joined in on the laughter with his youngest son. "I don't want anything to release and kill us!"

 _Four years away from me only to come back with a pregnant granddaughter who might die against that purple cat thing..._

Bardock could feel that anger stirring through his body; one that he had grown familiar with during the time in the chamber before he finally reached ascension. All he had to do was think about that Lord Beerus character destroying the home he had already fought for; the faces of his family that he _loved_ burning to death and feeling the pain that he did with Frieza's Supernova hit - and that was it for him.

Still, the transformation was proving exceedingly difficult. He couldn't control himself yet; another newborn. He wasn't even sure how many years it would be until Beerus arrived, but at this rate and his stress level over Gohan, he was going nowhere.

"H-Hey, Gramps..."

Bardock opened his eyes to see the nervous boy staring down at him while sweating profusely. His hurt expression quickly turned sour while he brought himself back to a normal position where he was sitting up right. "What do you want, kid?"

"I, uh," Gohan rubbed his neck, watching as Bardock began stretching to the side and ignoring him. "I have an... eye appointment in the city. Would you like to come with me?"

Bardock froze where he was and remained silent for a moment except for a simple huff. Gohan was prepared to be shot down, but an alarming response escaped his grandfather's lips. "Fine," he replied callously, still not looking at him. "But why the fuck do you need an eye appointment for?"

"Yeah, son!" Goku spoke, helping himself and Goten to their feet. "You get dust in there or somethin'?"

"I..need.." he gulped, noticing his grandfather was now looking at him with deadly orbs. "Glasses," he whispered. As soon as the 'G' word came out, it was like the end of the world. Goku had dropped Goten to the ground; and Bardock was quickly getting to his feet. "W-What?"

Bardock rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes while speaking. "For fuck's sake, you're a Saiyan, kid! You shouldn't be having...vision impairments."

"Well," Goku whistled, trying to keep things calm while he placed an arm around his son's shoulder. "He's a half-Saiyan, Dad. Half-Earthling. If you're going to blame anyone, blame-"

"CHI-CHI!"

The father-and-son duo sweatdropped while watching Bardock stomp his way over to the house. Goten wanted to follow, but he didn't want to pick up any more bad words from his grandpa. He was still waiting on his punishment, after all!

The Son boys watched as Bardock pounded on the locked door, not wanting to blast it down after Chi-Chi gave him an earful last time. "He doesn't need glasses, lady! Do you hear me!?" Pound, pound, pound. "He's _my_ grandson, no grandson of mine is-"

The door flew open to reveal the tiny Saiyan woman with a butcher knife raised high. Chi-Chi appeared behind her, holding out the keys. She laughed, noticing that Bardock had suddenly grown quiet and flustered. "Here, give these to Goku. You boys have fun acting like human beings, okay!"

Their fruity laughter continued to make him twitch and grumble as he stomped his way over to his son, jutting the keys into his torso. "Looks like you're taking us, _Kakarot_."

"But I don't wanna go!" Goku whined, with Goten quickly joining in. The hero quickly turned his attention to his oldest son before Bardock could get angered any further. "Gohan! I'm trusting you, son. I know Piccolo taught you how to drive while I was in Other World!"

Gohan held out his hands as Goku threw the keys at him. The metallic object flew right over him, dropping onto the grass as the boy had to kneel down and search for them. "Darn it," he grumbled. "This is why I need glasses..."

"Oh, for fu-..." Bardock sighed, rubbing the back of his neck while watching his nearly blind grandson search for the key. "Why don't we just fly, kid? You're going to crash the fucking car with your Magoo senses."

"How do you know Mister Magoo?" Gohan shouted, still trying to locate the keys that Goku had already snatched up without him seeing. The boy blushed when he realized his father was holding them with a wicked grin on his face. "Uh, yeah... I guess it's okay to fly as long as we stay out of sight... Hey! Why don't you wear your-"

"NO."

"Saiyaman-"

"NO.'

"Watch..." the boy frowned seeing his armor clad grandfather already disappearing in the sky. He exchanged an exhausted smile with his father, and took off to leave Goku and Goten behind for some much needed time together.

* * *

"How do I look, Gramps!?" the teen came busting out the door, striking a Saiyaman pose despite the fact his watch was at home. He was wriggling his eyebrows; causing his black framed glasses to do the same.

"Fucking nerd," he muttered under his breath, and then cleared his throat with a fake grin plastered on his face. "You look great, kid. Real grown up."

Gohan blushed at the compliment; not hearing the crude remark that came before it. After Bardock stood up, the two walked down the street, looking as casual as any regular pedestrian. The teen was rubbing the back of his neck and taking glimpses at his moody grandfather while trying to think of something to say. "So.. I was-"

"Are you still going to be the Great Saiyaman?"

"Uhm," the teen blinked himself out his shock that Bardock had actually started the conversation. "Y-Yes, of course I am. The university is in Satan City, and for some reason that place still has the highest crime rate. Guess I'm not scaring those thugs away, huh?"

"Hn." was the response he got. Despite the short answer, Bardock actually looked pleased for the first time in weeks. It was almost as if he was relieved that his dorky grandson would continue being a dorky superhero.

Gohan looked to the right of him, across the street where an old school ice cream parlor was seemingly calling his name. "Hey, Gramps? Do you feel like having some ice cream?"

The scarred Saiyan shrugged, but he was the first to start crossing the street. Occasionally, he would look over his shoulder to make sure the grandson was keeping up with him alright. "Your eyes work now?"

"Yup," Gohan laughed, jogging in front of him so he could open the door for him. "I think I look pretty cool, too. What do you think?"

Bardock entered without saying a word, but instantly regretted coming in first. A preppy and busty blonde woman wearing a god awful pink had appeared in front of him almost instantaneously, gushing and squealing. "Oh, my! Hello, handsome! Welcome to West City Creamery! You look like a bubble gum kinda guy, yeah? Or how about frosted animal crackers!?"

"The fuck?"

Gohan chuckled nervously, placing his hands on his grandfather's shoulders and moving him aside so he could apologize to the woman. "We'll just have two chocolate scoops, thanks."

"With sprinkles."

"..What?"

"Sprinkles!"

The woman nodded eagerly, offering them a seat at red leather booth while tending to their sweet tooth needs. Bardock watched the woman bend over with disinterest, not feeling anything for her but it began to make him remember something Chi-Chi had asked him to do a long time ago. The employee brought two large bowls over, placing it in front of them with a wink and giggle. Bardock made a disgusted sound as she walked away.

"Kid?"

"Yes?"

Bardock sighed, tapping his spoon against the silver bowl. How in the hell was he going to do this? The kid nearly had a heart attack when he saw Videl's sports bra on the floor back at the World Martial Arts Tournament! "What do you know about... being with a woman?"

The teen took a bite of his ice cream, not understanding what he was talking about and taking it as innocently as his father would. "Whaddya mean, Gramps? Like Videl?"

"Yes," he seethed, already knowing his grandson was helpless in that department. "Videl is a woman. Anyway... Have you... You know..." It was all too painful for the poor grandfather. He wasn't doing this for Chi-Chi anymore, though. He was trying to figure out when Videl would become pregnant for the vision to happen.

The teen blinked innocently. "What? You mean kiss?" he blushed, immediately bringing his attention back to his melting ice cream. "I mean, yeah... A few times..."

"Alright, kid, listen," Bardock leaned in, surprising Gohan even further when he grabbed the collar of his white shirt. "I'm not going to preach to you about unprotected sex because I need my great grandchild to be born already, but-"

"GRANDPA!"

"-But just let it happen on its own so you don't fuck anything up."

The boy was becoming flustered, stuttering and shaking over the strange mixture of embarrassment, humility, and frustration coursing through his mind. Bardock was looking deep into his eyes for a response; and if looks could kill, Gohan would be a dead man. He prayed in the back of his mind for something, anything to get him out of this.

"OH MY GOSH! WHAT IS THAT!?"

The screech of the blonde woman caused Bardock to release Gohan immediately. All of the customers had pressed their faces against the glass, watching as a familiar looking spaceship began hurdling towards the ground in the distance until it collided with the ground. The sound of it could be heard from the ice cream parlor, and the murmurs began to form about aliens invading Earth again.

Gohan slowly turned his attention away from the glass window to look at Bardock. "Did you see that?"

"Yeah," he said with a low voice, tensing up slightly. "A Saiyan ship..."


	2. Hello, Tarble

Chapter 2 - Hello, Tarble

Bardock eyed the gray smoke that was beginning to mix in with the clouds in the sky, and closed his eyes tightly to gather his thoughts. Surely, the God of Destruction wouldn't arrive on something as lackluster as a Saiyan spaceship. He would be more of an instant transmission type of guy. "This doesn't make any sense," Bardock snarled under his breath, reopening his orbs to see the smoke was no cleared yet the screams of the customers in the ice cream parlor continued. "Who in the hell could that be!?"

Gohan glanced at Bardock through his peripherals, still feeling a bit too tense to take his full attention away from the window. "Well," he sighed. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

The grandfather nodded with his teeth gritted, and then forced himself away from the window. When he turned around to dart out the door, he crashed into the ditsy employee.

"Like what the heck is your problem!" she whined. "I want to see the alien, too!"

"I've got a better idea," Bardock snarled, and Gohan released a sigh recognizing the fake nice voice his grandfather was about to use. "Why don't you try putting together a decent sundae for me since you fucked up my last order."

That statement nearly broke the poor woman's heart as she struggled to get to her feet. After becoming slight annoyed and just a bit guilty of being the one to cause her fall, Bardock grudgingly offered her a hand to which she gladly took. "Y-Yes, sir!" she finally flashed her teeth at him. "I'll make you the best sundae there is!"

"Thank you," he replied bluntly, and quickly made his way out the door with a baffled Gohan following closely behind.

"Wow Gramps," he chuckled while the two avoided making any eye contact with the pedestrians and shoppers that had frozen in their current activities to gaze up at where the smoke from the crashed ship was circulating. "That was downright decent of you. I'm surprised!"

"Hn," was all Bardock could reply with. He was beginning to turn pink from gesture, vowing to never help another stranger ever again. The Son family had already made him way too soft for his own taste. "Are we out of sight now, kid?"

Gohan casually glanced around as they pressed their backs against the wall of a building. "Yup, no one in sight."

"Great," he nodded. "Let's get the hell over there."

"Right."

The two took off quickly and quietly, managing to look like two large birds from the eyes of those on the ground. They could detect two insignificant power levels coming from down below where the ship had crash landed. "Hey," Gohan glanced over at Bardock while the wind blew their black hair furiously around. "That should be a good sign, right?"

Bardock bit his lower lip, shaking his head. "They could be repressing it, kid. Don't go assuming shit."

Gohan nodded, and turned his attention back to the ground as they approached the large crater. The smoke had completely disappeared during their flight now, and the Saiyan spaceship was in clear sight. "Look!" the teen exasperated. "The door's open!"

Bardock scanned the area as they levitated downwards, prepared for whatever was waiting for them. It wasn't until his feet touched the dirt that Bardock finally saw someone standing with his back facing them. The scarred fighter studied him for a moment. He had to catch his breath when he noticed the long, furry tail swishing wildly behind the stranger.

"...A Saiyan...?"

"You see it, too?" Gohan blinked. With his new glasses, he was able to clearly see the monkey's tail attached to the small of the man's back. Not only that, but his hair was spiked from the back like a certain Saiyan they knew along with the armor. Cautiously, Gohan touched Bardock's shoulder. "I'm gonna go talk to him, okay?"

"Right," Bardock blushed. This stranger didn't seem like much, but in case he was some sort of threat he knew it was best that his grandson handle it. He could take anything. "But... It's no surprise we couldn't see him until we landed. He's small as shit."

"Excuse me?"

At the mention of the s' word, the strange Saiyan whipped around quickly with a shock look on his face. Gohan and Bardock let out a yelp and took a step back, and then proceeded to get into their fighting stances.

Unsurprisingly to Gohan, Bardock spat on the ground before speaking first. The stranger had an extremely young looking face and a scouter above his eye to boot. There was something to familiar about him; as if they had seen him before... "Alright, short stop. Who the hell are you!?"

"Y-Yeah!" Gohan managed to say. He didn't want his grandfather to look like a complete ass. "You're a Saiyan like us, aren't you?"

The stranger blushed, noticing that the two men in front of him did in fact resemble Saiyans in every bit of the way, especially the messy-haired one due to the tail wrapped tightly around him like a belt. Immediately feeling sorry for an improper introduction, the spiky-haired one quickly bowed down to them. "I'm so sorry to intrude like this. My name is Tarble."

"Uh..." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck while Bardock let out a sneer of disgust. "My name is Son Gohan, and this is my grandpa, Son Bardock."

"Do not call me that," Bardock threatened. "And you don't need to look so tense anymore, boy. He's a Gine."

"...What?"

"There's nothing to worry about," Bardock rolled his eyes while gesturing to the bowing Tarble. "Look at him. He's a Gine."

Gohan opened his mouth to question his grandfather again, but decided to close it. Instead, he observed the way the short spiky-haired Saiyan was graciously and quietly greeting them, being the completely opposite of Bardock when he first arrived on Earth. "Well, I guess we can't assume all Saiyans are as evil as you," Gohan joked. "Hey, Tarble?"

The young adult raised his head slowly, looking up at the two taller ones. "Y-Yes, Son Gohan?"

"Uh," the aforementioned one chuckled nervously at the proper pronunciation. "You don't need to bow to us, Tarble. We're all casual here."

The tailed one blushed harshly as he brought himself upright. "Yes, please forgive me Bardock and So- Gohan... I guess my mind is just mixed up right now because of the threat that's coming to Earth."

Without warning, Bardock struck out a hand and lifted Tarble up by the top of his armor. "BEERUS!?"

"Wha-!?" the poor, innocent victim blinked rapidly. "...Beerus?"

The scarred one studied the eyes of Tarble, spotting the pure confusion. Bardock cursed under his breath, and tossed the spiky-haired Saiyan to the ground like he was nothing. "Forget it," he muttered. "I thought you were someone of use."

"H-How harsh," Tarble winced, glaring at Bardock as Gohan helped him back up to his feet. "I hope Vegeta doesn't act like you do. I know he's always been a bit of a hothead, but judging how you act, this planet probably has an awful effect on him!"

At the mention of Vegeta, Bardock's eyes narrowed. "How do you know the prince!?"

"Thank you," Tarble whispered to Gohan before returning his glare to the rude one. "Prince Vegeta is my brother!

Gohan and Bardock exchanged looks with each other, and then took in the full sight of Tarble. It was definitely clicking now. The face, the hair, the shortness... He was definitely Vegeta's brother. "Well I'll be damned," Bardock shook his head. "The prince has a brother."

"Y-Yes," Tarble gave them a shaky smile, and then rubbed the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "I guess I got my coordinates all wrong, but I need to see my brother immediately."

"Yeah," Gohan nodded, and decided to press the young man. "You mentioned a threat earlier. What's up with that?"

Tarble glanced at the tail wrapped around Bardock's waist one more time, realizing that he would understand the situation he was stuck in. "I assume you know Frieza?"

"Frieza..." Bardock growled lowly, and clenched his fists tightly. "What about him?"

"There are two former henchmen of his that have been terrorizing my home," Tarble took on a pleading stance, clasping his hands together in a prayer while his eyes began watering up. "Abo and Kado. I fought an intense battle against them, but I was no match. My wife and I managed to escape the terror, but I know they're following me and will be here shortly. I need help from my brother. Please...take me to him..."

When Bardock remained silent in his thoughts about Frieza still, Gohan coughed and spoke up. "Sure, no problem! You're definitely in the right city!" he grinned brightly for a moment, but it was replaced by a look of confusion while he glanced around the scene. "Uh.. Tarble? You said you escaped with your wife, where is she?"

"She's hiding behind the ship," Tarble smiled politely, and then glanced over his shoulder with his hands clasped over his mouth to sound louder. "Gure! Come out here!"

Bardock snapped out of his reverie to watch as a strange radish looking type of alien appeared from behind the ship and made her way to her husband's side. Bardock gaped in horror at the sight.

"What the fuck is that thing!?"

"GRAMPS!"

Tarble growled, taking a step forward and looking more like Vegeta in that moment than anything. " _She_ is my _wife_ , and you will not disrespect her!"

Bardock shuddered for a moment, deciding to not pay attention to the alien creature. He didn't have a right to say anything; every single one of his race left had married a strange woman. Why should a little vegetable looking thing be any different? "Alright, alright. We'll take you to the prince, kid. Can you fly?"

"Of course," Tarble let his anger slide away quickly knowing he was going to get the help he needed. "Just lead the way!"

"Can that thing-... your wife, fly?"

Tarble chuckled nervously in such a way that made Bardock almost positive that the king had sent his youngest son away to die somewhere. "No, but I shall carry her in my knapsack!"

"Your...knapsack?" Bardock raised an eyebrow as he watched the short Saiyan jump into the crater to receive something out of the ship. When he came out with a purse-looking type of backpack, the scarred one groaned loudly. Between the purse carrying Tarble to the glass wearing Gohan, he wasn't sure what the hell was happening to the Saiyans.

* * *

"Bardock!"

The older Saiyan landed on his feet in front of Capsule Corps, only to be greeted by the lavender-haired child who lived there. Trunks immediately ran from his doorway to Bardock, beaming. The grandfather raised a black brow. "What's with the shirt, kid?"

Trunks stood up even straighter, proud to show off his green Hawaiin shirt. "Cool, huh!? Dad got it for me when we went on vacation! I got one for you! Goten, too!" the boy was almost too giddy about his surprises to his proclaimed grandfather and best friend to notice the strangers behind him. It wasn't until Tarble sneezed that his full attention was brought to them. "Hey... He looks familiar. Who is he?"

"It's your uncle," Bardock scoffed, getting out of the way so the two were facing each other. "Trunks, Tarble and wife. Tarble and wife, Trunks. Your nephew."

Gure immediately hopped out of Tarble's knapsack and the two bowed to their nephew gratefully. Unsure of what to do, Trunks looked at Bardock who only shrugged. The boy muttered under his breath, but decided to return the gesture. "N-Nice to meet you, Uncle Tarble and Aunt...?"

"Gure!" the alien responded happily, even causing Trunks to smile.

"Aunt Gure... nice to meet you!" Trunks chuckled nervously when Tarble stood up straight. "Hey, I'm almost as tall as you and you're full grown!"

"Y-Yes," Tarble blushed slightly. "I am of short stature, but-"

"VEGETA! FOR THE LAST TIME, I SAID NO!" a certain feminine voice of the bluenette echoed throughout the yard of Capsule Corps. Bardock looked up to see that the window of whatever room Bulma was in was open to reveal the entire argument.

"AND I SAID YES!" the voice of the prince responded hastily, causing Bardock to raise an eyebrow while slowly bringing his attention back down to Trunks.

"What the hell are they arguing about, kid?"

The lavender haired child made a face. "I dunno, but it's been going on for days! Sometimes, I wish Dad would just shut up and give in to Mom."

"Vegeta!" Bardock called, trying to sound louder than Bulma's screeching but to avail. "Your short as shit brother is here! Talk to you later!"

"WHAT!?"

Bardock and Gohan left before they could see the pleading look in Tarble's eyes asking them not to leave him alone with the pissed off brother and his frightening wife. Once the Saiyans had disappeared, Tarble looked at Gure with despair. "Honey, I need my massage."

Trunks watched as his aunt levitated upwards and began rubbing Tarble's shoulders with her tiny hands. "Uh... Aunt Gure?"

"Yes?" she smiled while looking over her husband's head.

"Can I have one, too?"

* * *

"No kidding, huh!?" Goku laughed, stuffing his face with rice. The remnants were flying out in different directions as he spoke, but Chi-Chi was too busy making Gohan look at pictures of engagement rings to scold him. "Forget about those henchmen guys, Vegeta has a brother! That's crazy!"

"He's a short shit, too," Bardock shook his head, looking down at the giant steak on his plate with a frown. It was calling his name, but for once in his life he couldn't even think about eating right now. He lifted his chin up slowly, looking around at the table and finally noticing that Gine and Goten weren't there. "Where did the brats go?"

Chi-Chi let out a laugh, not taking her eyes off the jewelry catalog as she spoke to her father-in-law. "As soon as Tarble showed up, Trunks called for Goten so he could introduce him to his uncle. Don't you know it's a huge deal when estranged relatives come back to ruin lives?"

"I'll ignore that," Bardock smirked. "Where's Gine? Did she go with them?"

"Hm," Chi-Chi finally looked away from the rings so she could glance at Bardock with a frown. "She's laying down in the bedroom. While you two went out for ice cream and apparently more, she was beginning to feel sick."

Bardock knitted his dark brows together, and then pushed himself away from the table to stand up. "I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you!" Goku blurted out, shoving the rest of his food into his mouth quickly and wiping his hands on his gi. A small smile grew on Bardock's lips when he realized his son was getting to his feet. Once they were away from the stressed Gohan and Chi-Chi, Goku began to whisper. "I was actually with Ma earlier, and she's not really sick."

"She's not?" Bardock snarled, placing his hand on the knob of the closed door while glaring at his now nervous son. "Well, what is it then, kid!? She tired or something?"

"No," Goku shook his head. "She's sad..."

"Sad!?" the father growled while he began fiddling with the knob. When he realized it was locked, he began pounding on the door wildly. "Sad!? Your mother doesn't get... _sad_! OPEN UP, LADY!"

After only two loud knocks, the door began to slowly open to definitely reveal the only living female Saiyan with the saddest frown on her face. She was even wearing a pair of white pajamas with red cherries on them; an outfit that she would only wear when she was going to sleep. "What?" her voice was so monotonous, it caused Bardock to step back and Goku to continue his nervous laughter.

"I told Dad how you were sad," the messy-haired son offered. "So he came here to cheer you up. Didn't you, Pops?"

Ignoring the way his son was winking and nudging him, Bardock sighed heavily and placed two large hands on Gine's dainty shoulders. "Can we come in, or are you having a little pity party for yourself?"

He raised an eyebrow when her bottom lip began to quiver as if she was trying to hold back her tears. "Oh, Bardock... I-I'm sorry, it's just-" before she could get the words out, she began sobbing loudly. Awkwardly, Bardock brought her into him and held her tightly while looking at Goku for answers. The son just shrugged, unsure of the situation himself.

"Alright, Gine," he sighed and pushed the door open fully, dragging her with him as Goku followed. Bardock placed the crying woman on the large bed that they shared, the one beside the other two beds where their grandsons slept next to them every night. The scarred grandfather noticed that Gohan's boxes full of his belongings for piled on top of his mattress. "Is that what's wrong? You're worried about the nerd leaving?"

Gine sniffed a couple of times, and wiped her eyes with the back of her thumb. "No..."

Bardock and Goku sat on either side of the sniffling Gine, with the son wrapping his muscular arm around her shoulder. "Aw, then what is it, Mom?"

The Saiyan woman squeezed her son's hand, but rested her head against Bardock's shoulder. "Of course I'm getting sad about my little Gohan leaving," she sniffed again. "I only got to spend a few months with him, and now he's leaving. I've heard all those horror stories about kids that go off to college and never return to their grandmothers. That's going to happen to me and-and-"

"God," Bardock groaned. "Is that-"

"NO!" she wailed. "That's not it! Goten is going to start school and he's going to be grow up on me! Kakarot is already grown up! Raditz is gone! Soon, there's going to be no one left to take care of or nurture or baby or-"

"Gine," Bardock urged, trying to sound as calm as possible. "Gine, Gine, Gine. It's going to be alright. Remember what I told you about the kids having a kid? I bet you're going to be the full time baby sitter or something. Just relax, alright?"

"GOKU! COME HERE AND HELP ME GET THE GOOD PLATES!"

The son shook his head with a small smile, and gave his father a pat on the back before sneaking out of the door. Gine was left sniffling against Bardock when there was a wrapping coming from the window behind them. The Goku and Bardock look-a-like was knocking on the glass, smiling proudly as if he had accomplished a gigantic feat. "Graaaaaaaaaaandpa!" came his muffled voice. "Graaaaaaaaaandma!"

"We'll finish this later," Bardock whispered harshly into Gine's ear. The woman huffed and turned her back on her husband as he unlatched the window for the child to fly in. They didn't even have to question him if he heard anything - the giant and sneaky smile on his face was more than enough proof.

Goten happily sat on Bardock's lap, kicking his feet back and forth and looking between the embarrassed expression of his grandfather and the glowing look of his grandmother. "Does this mean I'm going to be a big brother?"

Bardock deadpanned while Gine laughed wholeheartedly. "No, silly! If Gohan has a baby, that baby is going to be your nephew!"

"Damn kid," the grandfather shook his head. "You really do need to go to school."

Goten frowned, knitting his brows together. "Gosh... I thought uncles were suppose to be old. Sometimes I'll call Trunks' dad 'Uncle' and that fits him because he's an old man."

When the female threw her hands in the air as a sign of forfeit, Gine collapsed on backwards on the bed and closed her eyes. "It doesn't matter, anyway. All of you are growing up way too fast for me, anyway."

"Don't sound so sad, Gram'ma!" Goten cheered, crawling off Bardock's lap so he could try and rub off his smile to Gine. "Videl comes back from her trip tomorrow! It's been foreverrrr!"

Bardock hid his smile when he turned his head away from the now chattering duo. Yes, the one who was meant to have a child would be coming home tomorrow, and Bardock would be the first alongside Gohan to see her. Just the thought of Videl being pregnant was stressing him out.

"Bardock?"

The male was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Goten had left the room to share the exciting news of Videl's return with his brother. Gine was leaned up against his side lovingly like before, sighing into his shoulder. "What do you want, pain in my ass?"

"Nothing," she smiled against his exposed skin. "I'm sorry I'm acting like this lately. I just want to keep our babies young forever."

Bardock released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in. He gave Gine a long kiss on her forehead and spoke into it. "Have I told you that I love you?"

"Nope. I don't think I've ever heard those words come out of your mouth."

"Good. Because I don't."

"I love you, too, Bardock."

* * *

"They've even named a college after him!?" Bardock shook his head in disbelief, reading the name 'Satan University' embellished into the outdoor bricks of the main hall. "Can you believe this shit?"

"Gramps," Gohan groaned, giving the scarred Saiyan a harsh nudge. His face was beginning to redden. "Can you watch your mouth for just a few seconds? Videl is coming!"

Bardock followed with narrowed eyes at the direction his grandson's hands were now gesturing to. Sure enough, a young woman with a tight red dress with a little devil on the chest and black tights was jogging towards them. The older Saiyan had to blink his eyes a couple of times in a double take. Seeing the deep blue set of eyes against alabastor skin and coal black hair, he knew it was the girl. But there was something different about her...

"Gohan!" he seethed, breaking his attention from the approaching Videl while yanking his grandson by the collar of his shirt. "Are you fucking kidding me!?"

The boy was a tomato. "W-what the heck are you talking about, Gramps!? What's gotten into you this time!?"

"She's softer than before!" Bardock shook Gohan until his glasses hit the grass beneath their feet. The future and current students were gawking, trying their hardest to keep walking but becoming too distracted by the violent grandpa. "Her chest is bigger! You impregnated her, didn't you!?"

Gohan hadn't even noticed Videl caught up to them until he felt Bardock release him. The young man had to hold in his laughter at the sight of his fuming girlfriend with a raised fist in the air and the fallen Saiyan craddled on the grass, coughing.

"For your information," Videl said through clench teeth, kicking Bardock with each word. "There is no way I'm pregnant, I am no where close to looking like it, and you're an idiot!"

With each hit to the gut, Bardock realized maybe it wasn't such a good idea assuming an earth woman had a bun in the oven. Still, he couldn't help but be impressed by how much stronger she seemed to have gotten since the last time they met. He opened one eye, looking up at her scowling face. "So, you're absolutely positive you're not pregnant?"

"NO!"

Smirking, Bardock grabbed her by the ankle that was closest to him. "Then I can do... THIS!"

Gohan slapped himself in the face watching his grandpa gently flip Videl to the ground as he got to his feet. While Bardock dusted himself off with a proud grin, Gohan glared at him while rushing to the woman's side. "Some things never change, do they?"

"Nope!" Bardock grinned.

The teenager held his girlfriend like she was a wounded animal despite her protests. She struggled for a bit in his grip, snarling and wanting to smack Bardock some more but grew silent when Gohan finally spoke to her. "How was Yunzabit Heights? You've never looked better."

Ignoring the sounds of disgust coming from the grumpy grandfather behind them, a pink blush grew across Videl's face. She was looking into the dark orbs of her lover, feeling like she was finally home. "Great," she sighed, continuing to search his eyes with absolute love reflecting in them. Her grin finally formed widely when she noticed his glasses. "You can see clearly now!"

"The raaaaain is gone!" Gohan sung back, and the couple shared a laughter that caused Bardock to feel awkward. He looked away when he heard their lips touch, and after too much of the noise to be happening he snapped his fingers impatiently.

"Come on, come on!" he groaned. "I don't wanna be here all day!"

Videl quickly gave Gohan a peck on the cheek before he placed her on the ground. She ruffled down her dress to look picture perfect, and then her eyes narrowed in on Bardock. "What are you doing here, anyway? Are you applying?"

"Don't be stupid," Bardock growled. "I came here to take a look around, make sure it's safe."

"As if Gohan needs protection!" Videl winked, causing Gohan to flush immediately and Bardock to snarl. Luckily, the grandfather kept the sex talk to himself for now. "Alright, boys. Let's go inside to take a look!"

Bardock stood with a scowl behind the couple as they wandered the corridors of the main hall. He was tuning out the voice of Gohan explaining to him about the history behind the university, having a different name prior to Hercule's victory against Cell all those years ago. Instead, Bardock was eyeing Gohan's hand on the small of Videl's back where her belt was. His eyes moved upward, noticing that the girl's black hair had grown to just above her shoulders.

"Hey, Videl?"

The couple continued to walk even though the woman flashed her blue eyes over to Bardock. "Yes?"

The messy-haired Saiyan rubbed the back of his neck, while his stomach was beginning to feel upset over what he realized. "You've really been gone for awhile, huh kid? Only two months away and you've really changed."

Videl frowned. "Is that a bad thing?"

Bardock let out a long sigh, and inched over to the left so a student and his family could brush past him on the way to his dorm room. "Not at all, kid. You look great. I guess time is just passing by too quickly now."

Videl squeezed Gohan's arm to make them stop walking. She pushed herself gently away from him, and turned around to give Bardock a warm hug. "I guess this is the way I should have greeted you in the first place. I've missed you too, ya idiot."

The grandfather smirked, and wrapped his arms around the upper back of the girl tightly. "I think flipping you was more appropriate. You've been gone for months and now you're taking my grandson away."

"Aw, Gramps!" Gohan laughed, adjusting his glasses. "You really-"

The sound of Videl's watch going off caused Gohan to grow silent. She pulled herself away from Bardock and answered the caller. "Oh, Commander! How are you today?"

"Not so great, Videl!" the old man in the picture of the watch trembled. "West City has been invaded!"

"Invaded?" the woman blinked while Gohan and Bardock exchanged looks of anger. "Ugh. Nevermind. We've seen enough on this planet to know the deal. I'll try and do what I can."

"God bless you Videl!"

"It's probably those guys!" Gohan growled, lowering his fists to his sides. "Abo and Kado! The ones Tarble said were following him! They must have finally caught up!"

"Uh," Videl sweatdropped while rubbing the back of her neck. "Avocado?"

The trio stormed down the hall as fast as they could, brushing past the gawkers that were whispering about the daughter of Mr. Satan entering her freshman year and the weirdos that were with her. After busting out the door, they ran to the back of the main hall's building. "Alright," Bardock nodded, preparing for take-off. "They're not too far-... Gohan, what the hell?"

"What?" the teen chuckled nervously, but his head was raised proudly. When his grandfather wasn't looking, Gohan had already changed himself into the Great Saiyaman. "Didn't you want me saving the day as the hero of Satan City?"

Bardock opened his mouth to speak, but lost his words seeing Videl was the helmeted Saiyagirl. "...Alright, fuck this. I'll go take care of them myself."

"Wait a second," Videl sccowled, holding up a finger to him. Gohan was grateful that she stepped up; he was simply too embarrassed to tell Bardock he might die against them if they were apparently matched with Frieza's strength. "Aren't you forgetting something, _Coach Bardock_? You're planning on returning next week when school starts, aren't you?"

Bardock had to clench his fists tightly to keep himself from knocking his favorite human out of his way. Well, he could. She wasn't pregnant. "...And?"

"And," Videl snapped, and was acting like she was a parent to a petulant child. "Don't you think it'd be pretty hard to coach students that are afraid of you for being a flying golden monster!?"

"I-I'm not golden yet," Bardock grumbled, seemingly already losing the fight and looking away. His face was slightly reddening. "Besides, I left the damn thing at home where it belongs."

"You did," Gohan chuckled, earning a glare from his grandfather as he took the watch out from under his turban of all places. "But I grabbed it... in case, ya know, something like this...happened?"

Bardock had to do what he always needed to when the brats were beginning to irritate him to the point of madness. He closed his eyes, envisioning what he thought these two aliens looked like attacking those he loved if they didn't hurry. Surely, they would go after Tarble first. He didn't give two shits about the kid, but as soon as they were through with him...

"Grandpa?"

The scarred warrior opened his eyes and snatched the watch from Gohan's outstretched hand. With a single shudder, he clicked the button. His "bathroom accident" Saiyaman outfit came into full view; from the god awful yellow helmet to the brown tunic and white cape. Seeing the outfit change, Gohan and Videl clasped their hands together in excitement, ready to rap their introductions when Bardock raised his hand to silence them.

Although Gohan and Videl were heartbroken, they remained silent and took off into the sky to follow their self-proclaimed leader. After half an hour of flying, with Gohan holding onto Videl's hand for increased speed, the dynamic trio had located the ki of Tarble's stalkers in West City. Bardock could also sense Vegeta and his brother not too far from where they were, and shook his head. "Of course they're in West City. They're heading for Capsule Corporation."

"Should we cut 'em off, Gramps?"

Bardock frowned as the trio halted in mid air. "No need. They're right there."

Sure enough, a red alien creature and a blue alien creature both wearing Saiyan armor but were definitely far from it were staring at the costumed group with blood lust. There was nothing intimidating at all about them to the point that even Videl wasn't giving off any tense aura.

"...What.. the hell?" Bardock blinked. "They're just little alien shits. Is this seriously what Tarble was so concerned about?"


	3. The Mystic and the Fused

The mother and son duo of Capsule Corporation were hiding in the bar area, still knowing full well that the man of the house could sense them without trying. With a cozily warm cup of coffee for a rather chilly summer's afternoon, Bulma's eyes narrowed in on the coffee table and its three guests.

"You could cut the tension with a knife," she whispered to Trunks, taking a long sip. A single blue brow lifted itself up as she listened to her brother-in-law speak. "Well, there's no denying they're related. Just look at them."

The lavender-haired child frowned, wondering why he couldn't be blessed with the cool spikes of his father and uncle instead of inheriting his grandfather's hair. "You don't have to say it twice, Mom," he mumbled. "How come Dad never mentioned having a brother before? Don't you think that's important news?"

Bulma gave her son a teasing wink and shrugged. "Not really, kiddo. He told me once about your uncle Tarble, but he honestly didn't seem too thrilled to tell me about him. I don't think he respects him that much."

"Is it because he's a nerd with a weird wife?"

"Trunks!" Bulma hissed loudly, and then blushed when she noticed the three in the distant kitchen look at her briefly before returning to their conversation. A little quieter, she tried explaining the situation to her curious son a bit better. "Alright. So you remember how we heard the story of Dad getting tossed around like a rag doll by the little Buu?"

A faint growl could be heard coming from said father as Trunks nodded.

"Okay. So in this situation, your father is Buu and Uncle Tarble is-"

"Dad?" Trunks offered, and then smiled when Bulma nodded. "Oh, I get it! Dad's embarrassed of his brother because he's weak and is the equivalent of Dad getting pounded by-"

"Alright, that's quite enough!" Vegeta snarled, startling the two bystanders as they pretended they were washing glasses. The prince came up behind them and snatched the dirty glasses out of their hands, dropping it to the tiles without causing a single crash. "Bulma, I think I've had it with this little reunion. Send them on their way."

Bulma clicked her tongue, placing a dainty hand against her husband's chest before he could walk away. "And where exactly do you think you're going!?"

"To train," he answered gruffly, and gently moved her hand out of the way. "Tell him he could handle his alien friends by himself."

When his bluenette wife tried standing in the way once more to stop him, Vegeta let out an exhausted sigh and placed his hands on her hips. A slight blush grew on Bulma's face as she placed her cold hands on top of the prince's. "Are you really going to kiss me right now?"

"Nope," he said bluntly, and then proceeded to lift her up and move her aside. With a single wave from behind, the flame-haired father and husband began making his way to the staircase. "Like I said, I'm going to train."

"OOOOH!" Bulma stamped her foot on the ground repeatedly like a petulant child, completely forgetting that she had guests watching her at the table just feet away. "THAT'S IT! I HAVE ABSOLUTELY HAD IT WITH YOU SAIYANS AND YOUR DAMN TRAINING! WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT!? YOU TRAIN DURING MY BIRTHDAY!? IF I GET PREGNANT, ARE YOU GOING TO TRAIN WHILE I'M IN LABOR!?"

"Mom..." Trunks rubbed the back of his neck with a red face. "Stop... You're so embarrassing."

After her little outburst, Bulma awkwardly turned around to look at the hurt faces of her brother-in-law and Gure. Giving the best fake smile she could followed by nervous laughter, she clasped her hands together. "Tarble, would you and your wife like to stay for awhile? Whatever has gotten into Vegeta, I know he'll get over it with time. Please..." she blushed. "Stay. It's the only way I can think of to make up for your rude brother."

"But Mom," Trunks groaned in a small voice beside her. "They're weird- OW!" the child shot his mother a deadly look after she pinched his arm, somehow still maintaining the smile on her face.

"Sweetie, why don't you go sit with your uncle and aunt while I make a couple sandwiches?" Bulma spoke through gritted teeth, a sure sign that if Trunks disobeyed he was definitely going to get punished more sooner than later.

With a deep sigh, Trunks nodded and trudged past his mother to join his estranged family at the table. The seat he chose was still warm from where his father sat, and even his personality began to rub off on the boy.

"So," he sounded as if he were dying from boring, wondering in the back of his mind what his father was doing in the gravity room. "What makes you so scared about those alien guys, anyway? After what you told us last night, they sound pretty mediocre to me."

Tarble and Gure exchanged looks with each other after gasping simultaneously. Trunks raised an eyebrow as they began having a conversation in some strange language while Bulma placed a large plate of small sandwiches on the table top. "Ooh, are you guys speaking in Gure's native language?"

"Y-Yes," Tarble blushed, and quickly handed one sandwich to his wife with one hand while placing his own in another. He gave Bulma a thankful smile, which she returned as she took a seat next to Trunks. "Nephew, do you know who Frieza is?"

Trunks shrugged, taking a lazy bite of his lunch. "Yeah," he said with a full mouth. "I've only heard of him, though. What's up?"

"What is up," Tarble's brows knitted together in slight frustration at the naivety of his brother's son. "Is that Abo and Kado are equivalent to Frieza in strength and-"

"Man, if those aliens come around me, I could mop the floor with them on the spot!" Trunks grinned, pointing a confident thumb against his chest while Tarble sweatdropped.

"Uh, Trunks?" he chuckled while taking a bite of his sandwich. "What makes you think that? No offense, I know that you're a strong boy, but you're just... well, a child."

Hearing the C word caused the nephew to fume, and on impulse he stood up on the chair while his mother rolled her eyes. "A child, huh!? Well, you know what!? Remember how you said those guys are as strong as Frieza!?" Once a startled Tarble nodded, Trunks smirked widely. " _I_ killed him with one slice of my sword!"

"...What?"

"Oh, not me, me. But the future me. Which technically is still me."

"WHAT!?

"TRUUUUUUNKS!" a small voice came shouting from the outside, followed by a few pounds to the front door. The actions quickly caused Tarble and Trunks to forget about the current conversation. "TRUUUUUUNKS! HURRY! THE BAD GUYS ARE FIGHTING MY BROTHER AND GRANDPA!"

The friend of the boy screaming outside came to the door and opened it widely, causing the still-pounding Goten to fall face first onto the tile. "Smooth, dude."

The messy-haired child giggled as he got to his feet while rubbing the back of his head. "Come on, Trunks! We have to hurry! I don't want Gohan to be the hero today!"

"H-How..." Tarble blinked, and then finally his scouter started going haywire. The color completely left his face as he jumped to his feet, nearly knocking over the table. He pointed a finger to the boy who was currently tilting his head in confusion. "How could that young child detect Abo and Kado without a scouter!?"

"Hi, Mister Tarble!" Goten beamed, having met the previous stranger a night before. "Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but Trunks and me are gonna go beat those guys up for you! Come on, come on!" the boy was urging his best friend, already running out the door.

The lavender-haired child gave his family at the table a two finger salute before chasing Goten out the door. Tarble quickly hopped over his wife's seat and charged to the boys before they could get even further. When he placed a hand on Trunks' shoulder, the boy threw his head back with a scowl. "Nephew, I will not let you leave! We will go get your father and let him handle this!"

Trunks rolled his eyes before flashing his uncle a thumbs up. "Chill, Uncle Tarbs. We'll take care of it."

While Tarble stammered with his words, the laughing hybrids ascended into the air. The now pale-faced Saiyan watched with his nervous wife until the two were completely out of sight. When the annoyed sighed of his sister-in-law touched his ears, Tarble looked over his shoulder to see the blue-haired woman shaking her head. "How could you let your son leave!? He could very well die out there against those two!"

Bulma simply shrugged. "Tarble, I'll tell you here and now so you won't ever forget it. Just like Vegeta, my son just doesn't give a damn."

* * *

"Whew!" Goku whistled loudly as he drove past rows and rows of fancy houses with his entire upper body nearly out of the window. "We're really in snob city, eh? I wonder which one is Mr. Satan's?"

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes and gently slapped Goku on the chest. "It's Satan City and keep your head inside the car before something cuts it off, you big lug!" Once the hero obliged, Chi-Chi smiled sweetly. "I'm pretty sure Hercule's house is the biggest one we can find, probably made out of gold and surrounded by groupies waiting to get a glimpse of him."

"WOOO!" the mother of the driver shouted loudly, being in the same position as her son was moments ago. With her head far out of the window, she could clearly see the fancy streets and signs and statues galore of the World Champion Hercule Satan. The largest mansion was standing predominately among tall trees that should have been used to block the home of the champ, but the sight of the Afro-haired man and a certain Namek floating above gave them away. "HEEEEEY, MISTER SATAN!"

Goku came to a screeching halt alongside the curb, having notice the two in the air before Gine had made the announcement. "Yo, Piccolo! What in the heck are you doing up there!?"

"Forget that!" Chi-Chi's eyes were nearly bulging out of her head as she leaned across her husband to look out his window. "Mr. Satan is flying!"

For a green man, Piccolo had a rather red face as he descended in a hurry. Before the Namek could touch the grass that laid outside of Hercule's mansion, the Son family had already gotten out of the car and had their faces pressed against the bars of the gate, looking in. While who he consider to be his favorite idiot made faces and whistled at him, Piccolo grabbed the collar of Mr. Satan's robe once the human had landed.

"You better not open that gate, Satan!" he barked. "Don't forget our little agreement! I have _nothing_ to do with you!"

Hercule sweatdropped while the sound of Goku's pleads filled his ears. "Ah, geez, Piccolo! You know a strong man like Goku could blast those bars right open! If they get in, I won't tell 'em a thing! Honest!"

Flustered, Piccolo released the champ and spat on the ground. "No, that lug wouldn't destroy your property. I'm going to head out before-"

"Hiya, Piccolo!"

"Damn instant transmission!" the Namek murmured under his breath while looking down at his clenched fist. Sure enough, when he looked up, his former rival and the females of his family were wearing the dumbest, largest, and secretive grins he had ever soon. "What do you want, Goku?"

The Saiyan rocked back and forth on his feet, causing Piccolo to become more irritated by the moment. "Ohhh, why so testy, Piccolo? Were we interrupting something?" Wink, wink.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Piccolo growled, raising his fist in the air as if he were threatening the messy-haired Saiyan. "I saw Hercule stuck up in a tree, and I figured nobody else was going to save the loudmouth so I-"

"Step aside!" Chi-Chi inserted, pushing the offended Namek to the side. The feisty woman jabbed the confused Hercule's chest with one strong index finger. "Alright, mister. We need to talk about your daughter and my son."

The large man blinked a few times and took a step back in momentary fear. Truth be told, after a few family parties and get-togethers with the Son family, he feared Chi-Chi way worse than the demonic Kid Buu. "Uh, uh...s-sure, Miss Chi-Chi. What happened?" his face suddenly dropped when his thoughts began to run wild once the fear of the woman left his mind. "Good God, don't tell me Videl is pregnant!?"

"Not yet!" Goku howled, earning a smack from his mother that quickly silenced him. "Oh, shoot... Uh, I mean-"

Piccolo raised a brown bone. "This is important, you guys. Tell us what's really going on. All of you have been acting so strangely since that night after Buu's defeat. I think it's only fair you come out and say it."

The three exchanged looks of defeat with each other, knowing it _was_ only fair. "Fine," Chi-Chi sighed. "But you may want to go inside for this."

* * *

After Hercule had fainted a few times and Piccolo had to leave the room every time he felt a smile wanting to come to his face, the story of Bardock's final vision - at least the pregnancy part - was finally told. Mister Buu held a cold ice pack against Mr. Satan's head while the man spoke with slight tears in his eyes. "My baby... is going to have a baby?"

"Exactly how I feel," Chi-Chi's eyes glistened as she gave Mr. Satan a comforting pat on his knee. "The reason why we are here is because I need to know if you have any traditions in your family that you want to pass along before I give Gohan money to buy a ring?"

"It's definitely not about money problems," Gine added in an embarrassed hurry. "All that Zeni you gave us way, way generous and we couldn't ask for more. We just thought it would be appropriate to ask you."

Hercule rubbed his the stubble on his chin for a moment, deep in thought while Chi-Chi and Gine waited patiently for answer. Goku's stomach growled louder than his yawn, and the Saiyan got up off the couch to go behind his former foe. "Hey, Buu? Do you guys have any grub around here?"

"Buu do, Buu do!" the Majin cheered loudly, leaving the ice pack on top of Mr. Satan's head while the pink being urged Goku to follow him.

"Be careful," Piccolo warned as they began to disappear from sight. "If any of you steal food from one another, World War III will break out."

Chi-Chi sighed, already hearing the two hunger mongers arguing in the large kitchen. "Well," she smiled at Hercule. "Do you?"

The champ got to his feet, the ice pack somehow still balancing on top of his mighty 'fro. He motioned for Chi-Chi and Gine to follow him, but Piccolo remained with his thoughts. "I reckon it's not really a tradition of any sorts," Hercule talked as the women made their way to his bedroom. Chi-Chi couldn't help but roll her eyes at the size of room that only one man slept in. "But I gave Videl's mama a ring when I proposed, and she left it behind when... Well, when she left me."

Gine frowned while Hercule tried laughing off what he had just said, slightly feeling heartbroken for the poor man. She gently touched his shoulder blade as he rummaged through the small jewelry box which contained gold chains and a mixture of championship rings, a shiver running down his spine as she did so. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Satan... A mother should never abandon her children. Or husband."

Hercule was thankful his back was facing them so they couldn't see his pink cheeks. "Ah, sunrise, sunset. Ooh! Hey, hey, hey! I think I found it!" The man turned around hastily, but was holding the small object in his hand gently. "Open your palm and I'll drop it on ya!" he instructed Chi-Chi, and the housewife obliged.

Once the cold ring touched the hot skin of Chi-Chi, the two women nearly screamed at the sight of it. It was the most beautiful, most classy and most expensive thing she had ever had the pleasure of holding. It was halo-styled, with a large diamond in the center and sparkled without any support of light. "Is that... what I think it is?" Chi-Chi breathed out, and Hercule beamed.

"Yup! Eighteen karat white gold!" he laughed while rubbing the back of his neck. "I sure spoiled that woman. Got it for her even before all the money came pouring in."

"Oh my," Gine pressed her heart against her chest. "Are you sure you don't want to save this for when you find another love?"

"You can't tie the champ down ahahaha," the burly man gave his infamous mighty laugh while throwing his head back. "You know what I'm sayin', Miss Chi-Chi!?"

"Someone should tie you _up_ ," the wife mumbled under her breath and then added a bit louder. "Thank you so much, Mr. Satan. It's absolutely beautiful! Just perfect and classy like Videl! I'll make sure to give it to Gohan, alright?"

Hercule opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the shouts and plates crashing in the kitchen. Chi-Chi growled under her breath, giving Gine the ring to hold onto momentarily while she stomped out of the room to drag her husband away. A sound and a sight had stopped her mid-punishment.

"I can't believe it..."

"Piccolo?" Chi-Chi questioned her former house guest with a frown, catching him staring long and hard down at his brown shoes. She noticed the Namek never sat down; only meditated in the air or stood straight up with a scowl on his face. He reminded her so much of her father-in-law, except Bardock had some laziness about him. "What's wrong? Are you sad about Gohan or something?"

Piccolo shook his head at her ridiculous comment, not even giving her an answer as he whipped his cape out in front of him and disappeared through the window. Chi-Chi muttered something about weird friends, and dismissed his little action to continue her way. Her mind was way too occupied with the thought of prying her husband out of the kitchen.

If it wasn't, she would have noticed the Namek was wearing the smallest smile in the world that meant something she couldn't ever comprehend.

* * *

"You want to go first and try your new strength, Gramps?" Gohan offered, taking a look at the smirking faces of Abo and Kado. "They don't seem all that tough. I'm sure you can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Videl whispered as quietly as she could, but still earned a growl from the grandfather. "I mean, Bardock's strong but-"

Bardock raised a hand up to silence the woman, and then lowered it as he watched the overconfident henchmen of his mortal enemy with hooded eyes. "I can handle these freaks. Just watch me."

As the scarred warrior placed his clenched fists outwards from his hips, he closed his eyes and began focusing all of his energy into a single spot inside him. Gohan nodded in appreciation as Bardock's now flowing, golden hair became more rigid and paler in color. The golden aura around him was starting to become more jagged as well, and the Earth began to tremble slightly as his muscle mass began to increase.

Abo raised an eyebrow, while a smirk grew across his features to match his crossed arms. "He comes off as strong, but inside he's crying."

Kado took a similar look and nodded. "He acts like nothing's wrong, but he's really good at lying."

"LYING, HUH!?" a ferocious scream had escaped the powering up Saiyan as his muscles began to bulge out and expand. "I'LL SHOW YOU LYING!"

Still not completely use to the wails of a Saiyan, Videl had to cup her ears and watch in anticipation as Bardock caused the entire meadow down below to shake and rise. The clumps of dirt were floating up and continuing to rise, while the grass danced and swayed against the dangerous wind attacking it. Once her orbs settled back on Bardock, she couldn't help but let a loud gasp escape her.

"Gohan.. He's ripped!"

The boy hooded his eyes as he looked at his girlfriend. "Are you checking my grandfather out?"

"EW!"

Even Abo and Kado at this point were frightened, completely frozen in the air as they looked at what they considered to be a monster. Out of all the Saiyans that had seen, they had never encountered one as angsty or bloodthirsty as this one.

"One for YOU-" Bardock grunted, surprising and sending a ki-fueled fist into Abo's face and bringing him upwards. The warrior could feel Kado's fist coming at him from behind, but instinctively grabbed his wrist tightly and clenched hard and painfully, causing the blue alien to scream out. "And one for YOU!"

The two aliens had reached the same distance in the air at the same time, and the grandfather grabbed the back of their necks and slammed their foreheads together tightly. After the painful, loud sound of a crack was heard, Bardock threw them downwards until they crashed into each other once more.

Bardock stared at his hands after both Abo and Kado had collided into each other. The strength contained within them was astonishing, as it was a power he had wished to have. Still, there was something... irregular about it all. Something that he felt back in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber that everyone dismissed as just being a first timer...

"What the fuck is that thing!?"

The eyes of the scarred fighter had caught sight and sensed a strange, unknown power brewing from down below and coming straight towards him. After a huge flash of a light had disappeared, a beastly purple being had appeared and was baring a slight resemblance to Dodoria. Bardock's eye began to twitch rapidly as memories of that sick, pink freak killing his crew in cold blood to the point that his bloodied headband began to feel red hot against his skin.

The stomach of the dark hero began to burn, and nausea was hitting. It had been so long that he had thoughts of his crew; of the dying Tora in his arms and the way Fasha laid nearly snapped in half on a rock.

His vision began to grow slightly hazy as the headband began to burn even more. Falling into a strange state of illness, Bardock hadn't noticed the purple hands that were being wrapped around his neck.

"Goodbye!" came a demented voice, and the strangled Saiyan was having his head dragged through the grounds until he was lifted up once more just to be brought into a wild spin. After Aka had released him, Bardock went spinning through the air like a rag doll until he landed harshly on his back.

"Yikes," Gohan and Videl winced at the same time hearing the snapping sound of Bardock's spine as it hit the grassy field beneath them. While the newly fused Aka laughed manically, Gohan tugged at the collar of his green tunic.

"Did you break your back, Gramps!?"

"...sonuvabitch!"

"Yup," Gohan sighed, removing his sunglasses and replacing them with the frames he bought earlier. Videl let out a gasp as he began removing the white tunic on his head, revealing the signature short black spikes and one long bang that just wouldn't stay up. With a smile, he offered the materials in his hands to his girlfriend. "You mind holding these, hun?"

Videl slowly reached for the sunglasses and turban, all the while keeping suspicious eyes on the man giving it to her. "Aren't you going to turn into my Gold Fighter?" the question was spoken as innocently as it was meant to, but with a blink of her giant blue eyes it only gave the observer more confidence.

"Don't need it," he winked, and gave his temple a quick tap. "Remember? I've got all I need right here. I just need to power up."

"Uh..." Videl chuckled nervously, and then took a few steps away from the hybrid after remembering what she felt on the Sacred World of the Kais. "Right. I'll just stay here and protect your sunglasses with my life."

"Don't forget the turban!" he laughed, and then placed his clenched fists near his hips. A white light began to grow as Gohan grunted and yelled so his outstanding power would find its full way sooner. The hideous Aka didn't seem to be wanting him to have any time, and was already preparing to grow a green light of ki inside his mouth.

A smirk grew across Gohan's face. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. I'm going to-"

A pained screech had escaped the fused alien's throat, and disappeared from Gohan's sight too fast for the young man to even notice what had happened.

"Uh, uh, uh!" came the taunting voice of the mysterious figure who had just sent Aka pummeling downwards. Not so much to his surprise, the newcomer was none other than his fused brother. "You're not taking our kill this time, Gohan!"

The young man in his late teens rolled his eyes in disbelief as the black and purple haired child waggled his finger before him. "Gotenks, are you serious!? This could get really dangerous! They broke Bardock's back!"

"What!?" Gotenks' pupils suddenly grew large with a slight tint of fear as the fused boy searched the ground beneath them for any signs of Bardock. After missing him upon their arrival, the fear quickly brewed into a rage so startling that even Gohan had to fly back a few inches. A lowly growl escaped Gotenks' throat as Aka suddenly appeared before him, ready for more. "You... YOU HURT MY GRANDPA!"

"Oh boy," Gohan chuckled nervously, and pointed a finger at the narrowed and confused eyes of Aka. "You've gone and done it now. Last time someone hurt Gramps, this little guy went insane."

Aka opened his mouth to dismiss Gohan's threats, when he was greeted with a rapid fire of compact ki blasts the same color as a halo. The barrage of yellow lights seemed to be weighing the opponent down, and Gotenks raised his index finger in the air. "Hungry!? Here, have a GALACTIC DONUT!"

His index finger circled above his head until it created a yellow ring of energy. He homed the ring over the purple Aka, causing the fused alien to become gripped and trapped inside it. While the creatures began to stir and growl, Gotenks wiped his nose with the back of his finger and smirked.

"You look a little... tied up."

"What do you think you're doing!?" Gohan exasperated as he watched the fused child dance in a suggestive way. "Your mothers are going to kill you, and this isn't a game!"

"Oh, come on!" Gotenks rolled his eyes and stopped his movements. "You're such dork, Gohan! These guys are nothing!"

"They're just toying around," Videl frowned, and gave Gohan's arm a gentle touch. "Why don't you go and take care of it yourself? You could defeat this freak in a single blow! Plus... I really have to use the restroom!"

Gohan bit his lower lip, trying to weigh his options. Either put up with Videl's wrath, or deal with that of Gotenks. Being the wise man that he his, he chose the latter of the two. "Sorry, Gotenks!"

"Huh!?" the purple and black haired child watched as Gohan zoomed past him to the concealed Aka, nearly causing him to swivel around. Gotenks' eyes narrowed in anger as he realized what his half brother was trying to do. "GOHAN! YOU BETTER NOT!"

"Sorry, little guy!" Gohan laughed without looking over his shoulder at the steaming boy. His orbs suddenly grew dark as they focused on the fused alien, as well as his voice. "And I'm sorry to you."

With a single punch using the back of his fist, Gohan's knuckles completely stunned Aka. The purple being became two red and blue aliens once more, who had no more energy left inside of them after being hit with a mystic punch. Gohan glared down at the beaten bodies for a moment, and then grew relieved when he couldn't detect any ki.

"HEY!" Gotenks shouted offensively, and raised a fist in the air as if he was going to beat Gohan with it. Taking note of the pissed-off fire in their eyes, Gohan took a nervous step backwards. "What's the big idea!? That was _my_ fight!"

Still giving out an apologetic laugh, the accused Gohan placed his hands in front of him in defense. "Aw, come on, guys! This is probably the last time I'm going to be doing something like this!"

"Hmph," Gotenks stuck his nose up in the air, obviously displeased even more remembering that Gohan was moving away for college. "Well, I bet by the time you come home, I'll be the strongest and then you won't have a choice but to let me win."

"I don't doubt it, buddy!" Gohan rubbed the back of his neck, but had to fake his smile. Something about what his fused brother just told him didn't settle well in his stomach at all. Trying to dismiss it as nothing, the young man shook his head. "Alright, let's go give those losers the speech."

As the warriors descended downwards, they could see the defeated aliens sprawled on their backs against the ruined meadow. They were completely covered in bruises and blood, and wincing in pain.

"We have a little thing around here called mercy," Gohan and Gotenks spoke at the same time, having practice their victory speech together in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. They pointed their fingers dramatically at the frightened Abo and Kado. "So we'll give you the opportunity to return back where you came from, or else we have no choice but to officially destroy you!"

"Noooooo," came a distant groan. "You fucking kids I swear you are all-"

"Yes, we understand!" the red Abo said hastily as he scrambled to his feet. "We have been surpassed!"

"We will leave immediately," Kado pulled out the remote control from underneath his armor. "Before you have my ass!"

"Shit!" Before Bardock could go after the red and blue duo who were heading to their pods, the sound of clapping came from behind him. Instinctively, the scowling grandfather threw his head back to see his son cheering him on.

"Wow, awesome fight, guys!" the hero laughed. He was standing in front of his white car, with Chi-Chi and Gine barely coming out after him. "We watched the whole thing from in here! I must admit, there were moments when I wanted to come in and save you all, but you guys sure proved me wrong! Amazing!"

Now coming out of their fusion, Trunks and Goten landed beside the fallen Bardock with Gohan and Videl coming down shortly after. The lavender-haired boy donned hooded eyes while looking at Goten. "Is your dad stupid or something? Bardock's dead and he's clapping."

"HE'S DEAD!?" Goten screeched, and then quickly dropped to his knees so he could shake his grandpa rapidly. "Grandpa, Grandpa! Wake up! Please for the love of Dende!"

Goku watched with a sweatdrop rolling down his head as Bardock tried swatting Goten away like he were some gnat. "Gosh, I didn't even see Pops down there!" he quickly dug into the pocket of his gi and pulled out a Senzu bean that had been left over from the training into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He gave his frightened mother a nudge. "Here, Mom. Go give it to him. I think he'd actually take it if it were from you."

Gine snatched the healing bean from her son and gestured for the young ones crowding around Bardock to move. The wife sat cross-legged on the grass and prompted Bardock's head on her lap. Not even refusing it, she was able to pop the bean into his mouth and watched him eventually swallow it.

"You're going to get yourself killed one of these days," Gine shook her head while running her dainty, cold fingers through Bardock's hair. A sad smile grew on her when she noticed Bardock's features become less tense. The only Saiyan female lifted up his headband with the back of her thumb to reveal his forehead, and then proceeded to kiss the dampened skin. "You crazy man. What am I going to do with you?"

As Bardock slowly opened his eyes, a familiar smirk took over his pained expression. "What are you going to do with me?"

"Oh, stop!" she rolled her eyes, and pushed him away teasingly while getting to her feet. "No need to worry, everyone. He's alright."

A sigh of relief washed over the group as Goten attached himself to Bardock's leg. "Grandpa, I thought we lost you for good!"

"Leech," Bardock said softly instead of his usual harsh tone, and even added a little hair tossing before kicking his brat off him. He looked over his shoulder briefly to see his eldest grandson and future granddaughter-in-law getting a little too close to each other for his comfort. "Why don't you and Trunks go bother your brother for me?"

Without questioning his grandfather's motives, the miniature look-alike smiled brightly and nodded. "I'll race you Trunks... HEY! WAIT!"

Gine rested her head against Bardock's arm as they watched Goten angrily pounce on Trunks for cheating, and soon the fighting children crashed into Gohan and Videl. As an all out brawl with the younger warriors started, the mother of Goku sighed. "I am serious though, Bardock. You really need to watch yourself."

Bardock's cheeks began to redden, but he allowed Gine to rest against him. "Oh, stop. I didn't even use my real power. It was just a test run."

"Sure," Gine nodded sweetly, still not really buying it but knowing not to press her husband too hard. "Why didn't you?"

The tall male had to close his eyes when he began to feel them burn, and casually looked away so Gine couldn't see. How could he come out and say that he possessed the strength to defeat Aka, but was too damn slow to move? How did that make any sense; if he were to possess the power of a fully ascended Super Saiyan?

"Bardock?" Gine frowned, noticing that he still wasn't looking at her. In need of assistance and knowing it was a fighting thing, the wife looked over her shoulder to her son already heading their way. She mouthed a thank you, and gave her husband a quick kiss on his bicep and whispered sadly to the tanned skin. "Well, if you won't talk to me, maybe your son is a better choice."

Bardock's lips twitched as he felt Gine slip away from him, cursing under his breath for allowing her to leave. His mind wasn't always too sharp, either, at least when it came to her. He was definitely going to pay for that later.

"Dad?"

After Gine had left the father-son duo, Bardock turned his attention to the other messy-haired Saiyan. "Kakarot... Remember what you were telling me about that insect you and Gohan fought?"

"Cell?" Goku offered, and then laughed when his father nodded. "Yeah. What about him?"

"Those two freaks," Bardock growled, eyeing the sky with ferocity reflecting in his orbs as he watched two Saiyan spaceships disappear in the sky. "They were weaker than him, were they not?"

Goku bit his lower lip, not sure if he should tell the truth or not. When he noticed his father giving him a stern look, he knew the answer with a sigh. "Yeah. They're weaker than him. Truth be told, they should have been no match for you at this point. Why didn't you ascend?"

"I never really ascended, did I?"

Put on the spot now, Goku began sweating profusely and tried sneaking away until he was backhanded. "Alright, alright!" he began to rub the sore spot with a pout. "Look... I didn't have the heart to tell you. You had the extreme power. You had the muscles and the body. But without the speed and control... You were just an ultra form of yourself. It happened to me, Vegeta, the future self of Trunks. I just-"

"Pitied me," Bardock answered for him, and raised a finger to silence Goku when he tried protesting. "How many times have I told you not to do that? All of you treat me like I'm some hot fuse that's going to erupt if I'm not coddled like some infant."

Goku couldn't help but think about the next words he chose, after Bardock had literally described himself. "No... I wouldn't say that. You're like a more... uh-"

"Oh, shut up!" Bardock slapped his hand away and turned his back on his son. "Stop spewing your bullshit. You've been the most powerful being in the damn universe since you were a child. I have seen what your offspring can do, and I've seen you as a God and-" the grandfather cringed at the slip up, hoping that Goku hadn't noticed.

"...A God?" he blinked. "I wouldn't consider myself _that_ high up yet. But you're wrong. After Master Roshi had trained and prepared me for my first tournament, I really thought I was going to win it all. I didn't. A man named Jackie Chun did. He was incredible."

"Jackie...Chun?" Bardock questioned, and was answered with a nod.

"Yup! He really opened my eyes and made me understand I always need to be learning and achieving more. I never saw him again after that," Goku began to muse, his voice trailing off slightly. "Man, I bet if I could find him, he would probably teach you a thing or two. He was so, so strong back then..."

Bardock's ear twitched at the 't' word, turning around slowly to find his son lost in thought. "Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "How could a mere Earthling possibly teach me anything of use?"

Goku shrugged, and gave his father a smug smile. "I dunno about that, Pops. Master Roshi is just a human, he taught me basically everything I needed to know to get where I am now. Pupils always end up surpassing their teachers when they keep pushing themselves further."

"And is this Jackie Chun," Bardock struggled to say the name. "As good as that old Roshi?"

"Probably even better!" Goku's eyes suddenly lit up as flashbacks of that fight rolled through his mind. "I never saw Master Roshi use moves like that my entire life. If you're really interested in talking to him, we can go to Kame House and ask where he is! I'm sure Master Roshi has to know, he knew everything about him back in the day!"

Bardock opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted by Chi-Chi's shouts. "BOYS! IT'S TIME TO GO HOME, I NEED TO START DINNER!"

That was all Goku needed to hear to leave his father behind. Goten and Trunks had dragged Videl away from Gohan and were bringing her towards the car while Gohan trudged slowly behind. He came to a stop beside his grandfather and smiled. "You alright, Gramps?"

"Fine, just fine," Bardock replied, and rolled his eyes when he noticed Gohan had some lipstick on his cheek. "That was some real nice fighting... At least from where I could see it."

"GOHAN!" Chi-Chi once more interrupted a conversation of Bardock's, causing the scarred Saiyan to throw his hands up in the air in frustration. The woman was making her way towards the two, occasionally looking over her shoulder to make sure Videl wasn't looking. Once she came to a stop in front of him, Gohan raised an eyebrow as she dug a small box out of her purse. "Here. Give this Videl. It's her engagement ring."

"Engagement ring!?" Gohan gulped, and nearly dropped the delicate and rich jewelry now in his possession. "Ma, you can't be serious! It's way too soon for that and-"

"I'm not saying you need to give it to her now," Chi-Chi offered to calm him down and took a step back. "I'm just saying it's an engagement ring and it's for Videl and it's in your hand. I'm going to leave now, you and your grandfather can finish your little date and come home."

"Conniving little wench," Bardock muttered as Chi-Chi stuck her tongue out at him before turning around to head back to the car. Once he heard the passenger door slam shut and received a little 'see-ya-later' wave from Goku, the grandfather slapped the back of the grandson beside him. "Well, kid, it looks like you won't have to spend any money on a ring."

Gohan massaged the tiny jewelry inside his pocket with his fingers while watching Videl chase Trunks and Goten around playfully. Her red dressed body after changing from her Saiyagirl outfit really accentuated every curve and shape. Although she was beautiful with any hair length, her black tresses were continuously growing and reminding him of that girl who stalked him in high school. Videl had changed everything for him, and she remained by his side through all the craziness.

"I'm going to marry that girl, Gramps."

The voice of his grandson brought Bardock out of his reverie almost instantly, having drifted back to thoughts of Jackie Chun during Gohan's observation. His eyes quickly left the clouds and settled on the young man standing right beside him. The boy was already eyeing Videl in the same way he did when she revealed her pregnancy in Bardock's final vision. Running a hand through his messy black hair, the young grandfather smiled sadly. He had to do whatever he could to make sure his great grandchild grew up in a world that wouldn't be taken from him or her.

"I know, kid. I know."

 _Now I need to find Jackie Chun before it's too late..._


	4. Bardock's Master Chun

Green-tipped boots touched the sand of the small island which the turtle hermit lived without a sound, save the screeching of the seagulls as they escaped upon the arrival of the most unexpected visitor. The messy-haired Saiyan took a deep breath, and the significant scent of the ocean caressed his nose. It was almost too heavenly to the point that his nose twitched in disgust.

The first and last time Bardock had been to Kame House was with Gohan, back when he introduced him to everyone that lived there before the World Martial Arts Tournament began. It was so damn quiet now, with the midget friend of Kakarot's and his blonde family moved out into South City finally. A strange feeling had tugged at Bardock's heart at the thought of the silence, knowing this is what it might be like back at home once Gohan moved out.

"Damn kid," he spoke as quietly as the breeze blowing his spikes around gently. "I can't even stop you..."

"Uh, sir?" an ancient, shaky voice came from near Bardock's ankles. "Can I help you?"

The Saiyan's lips curved downwards into a frown as he glanced at old Turtle, who was staring right back up at him with a tilted head yet no fear in his eyes. The scarred one decided he wouldn't kick him despite everything inside him wanting to. "Where's your owner, little guy?"

Turtle's eyes turned into annoyed slants as he pointed sharply with his webbed foot at the building behind them. "Master Roshi is inside catching up on his readings. I'll take message for him, though, since we weren't expecting any _visitors_ today."

 _Stay calm, Bardock. You're trying to get right with yourself. Don't punt this little asshole to the next island, stay calm._

With both teeth and fists clenched tightly, Bardock turned himself around to face the angered turtle fully. "Listen, pal, I am the father of the one you call Goku. The one you all love so damn much. Remember, I was here a few months ago with his son? I'm a freaking _good guy_. Just get that old man out here. I have some questions for him."

Turtle wasn't having it. The ancient amniote prompted himself up until he was on his back feet, practically standing up and taking on a fighting position. "Yeah, I know who you are. You're a very _mean man_ , and you'll have to go through me if you want to speak to Master Roshi!"

"You little-" Bardock strangled the air in front of him, threatening the defensive shelled creature. "Why the fuck every time I try being nice to one of you weird little freaks, you always have to give me a reason to kill you!?"

"Easy, boys, easy!" whistled Master Roshi as he finally came out of his home wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a red Hawaiin shirt. His turtle shell was missing and his shoes were replaced with flip flops, signaling he was in a state of relaxation. Once he came close to the tall Saiyan, he leaned his stick against a palm tree and gave Bardock a slap on the back. "It's alright, Turtle. He's a friend of ours, now."

Turtle still eyed said friend suspiciously, but decided to drop it all with a sigh. "Alright, Master Roshi. You just let me know if he acts up, and I'll toss him out."

Bardock gave the creature a smug look as he was crawling away, but quickly brought his attention back to the turtle hermit when Roshi gave a small cough. "What the hell is he going to do, anyway? He has a power level of what, like, two?"

"0.001," Roshi chuckled quietly, but not before making sure Turtle was clear out of hearing distance. "What brings you here, Bardock? Problem with the misses? You know... I could handle her for you..."

"Don't you start with that," Bardock warned, raising a threatening hand before him. "I'm telling you right here and now, I don't want to hear any of that talk. I just have an important question to ask you regarding Jackie Chun."

Roshi's face turned serious, nearly emotionless as if he had practiced this expression whenever that name was brought up. "Oh, I see. Well, get on with it. What's your question?"

"Where is he?"

"Dead."

"WHAT!?"

"Mmhm," Roshi licked his dry lips while Bardock fell to his knees in a near tantrum. "He died in a fiery blaze of glory-"

"LISTEN HERE, OLD MAN!" Bardock snapped as soon as he got back to his feet, and slightly lifted Master Roshi off the ground by the collar of his Hawaiin shirt. "Are you telling me I came all this way to this stupid island just to find out the guy I'm looking for is dead!?"

"Mmhm," Roshi replied, acting perfectly calm despite the raging Saiyan before him. "But don't you fret, young man. I trained Jackie Chun; I can help you out in anyway that you want."

With a disgusted growl, Bardock dropped the turtle hermit to his feet and turned away abruptly. "Who the hell said I needed training? I got the answer to my question and that's that."

"Bardock," Master Roshi warned, and the intimidation on his reddened face of anger even caused Bardock to back away slightly. "You listen to me. I may not seem like much to you, but I was the first teacher your son ever had next to his grandfather Gohan. He may not have been as strong as you are now at the age he was, but look at what a fine man he turned out to be because he gave me a chance and respected me!"

 _Gohan? ... Of course. That old man in the visions..._

"I'm-"

"I'm not finished yet!" Roshi barked, pounding his stick to the ground ferociously and then proceeding to point it at Bardock's throat. "That's the difference between all you Saiyans and Goku. He's always opened his heart and mind to new things, being trained by others he knew he would soon or already did outclass while the rest of you are too stubborn to ask for help. If you really want to be useful and help this world, you're going to have to do the same!"

"FINE!"

"...What?"

"I SAID FINE!" Bardock stamped his foot on the ground like a petulant child not getting his favorite cereal at the grocery store. After his breathing had settled down, his eyes locked with Roshi heavily. "Let's start the damn training... What's first? The Kamehameha shit I already know?"

Master Roshi gave Bardock the smuggest look he can muster, perfectly remembering the training routine he had used on Goku, Krillin, and all his other students back in the day. "Nope, that's for later. First, you need to take me to a small town to the east of here. There's a task waiting for you."

"Did my fucking son tell you I was coming!?"

Roshi winked from behind his sunglasses as Bardock threw his hands up in frustration. "You just wait right here. I'm going to change into the old uniform. We'll take the submarine there. There will be absolutely no flying during this training, do you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Bardock growled and dismissed him with a turn of his back. "Just go get ready, geezer."

Shortly after Master Roshi had appeared in his old attire of a long-sleeved orange shirt and purple turtle shell, and after numerous encounters with hideous sea creatures a silent Bardock found to resemble the prince, the two had arrived to the town where the milk man was waiting.

"Ah, Master Roshi!" the anthropomorphic sheep greeted the old man with a gracious bow. "Long time, no see! It looks like you've got a new student, eh? Looks kinda... bigger than the others."

"Shut the hell up or I'll make lamb chops out of you."

"Yikes!" the milk man backed away. "Take what you need, Roshi. This one's pretty mean, so I'm going to stay away until you're finished."

"What the fuck is this?" Bardock questioned, eyeing the containers that held glasses of white liquid. Roshi was instructing wordlessly for the Saiyan to hold out his hands, and soon Bardock was balancing two of those cartons on either hand.

"Heavy?"

"What the hell? No," Bardock rolled his eyes. "Just annoying. What's the plan here? A balancing act?"

"Sort of," Roshi chuckled. "Many years ago, your son and his best friend ran through this entire town delivering these bottles of milk to the citizens. It helped their agility, balance, and endurance. It may seem kind of strange as an adult male doing it, but trust me, it's going to work. No Super Saiyan powers, no powering up. You will do this in your base form and you will do it damn well!"

Bardock frowned. "There's no way in hell this is going to work, old man. I'm just going to look like an idiot out there."

"We are going to skip until we reach the orchard!" Master Roshi commanded, already doing said action while Bardock nearly fell over despite given specific direction to not break the bottles. "One skip, two skip.. COME ON, BARDOCK! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Bardock did a silent prayer in his mind to not murder the old man in front of him. "Are you absolutely positive nobody will see me?"

"Sure as sugar, my boy!"

The Saiyan gulped, and quickly did a double take to his surroundings before balancing the two cartons in either hand. Then, he began to move.

Frolic.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"One skip, two skip..."

* * *

After a tearful goodbye to his mother, father, grandmother, and brother, Gohan was driving away from his first home while trying his hardest not to look back. The small white car, given to him by Mr. Satan as a way to get himself and Videl around town while in college, was perfect enough to fit all his packed bags in. He much preferred flying, but the classic "666" vehicle and luggage didn't have any capsules to go into and he really needed it.

But he didn't mind.

The only thing bothering him was the fact that Bardock never showed up to say goodbye.

"Should have figured as much," he mumbled while his eyes squinted on something up ahead the bumpy road. Despite the overwhelming power of his glasses, he still couldn't quite make it out yet. "Grandma warned me that it would be too hard for him and- Hey... Wait a second..."

The young man's narrowed eyes quickly turned wide with excitement as he realized that the figure was none other than Piccolo. Screeching to a halt, Gohan quickly opened the driver's door and ran towards the Namek with a childish look on his wife. He was completely forgetting about all the nerves running through his system. "Piccolo! I was wondering when you'd show up! I'm on my way to-"

"I know, Gohan. I know," Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest and looked away so his former pupil couldn't see the look in his eyes. "I also know about the ring you're carrying in your pocket. When are you... You know... Whatever you Earthlings call it."

"When am I gonna propose?" Gohan offered, and then when the Namek blushed he continued. "Uhm, gee... I dunno. I was thinking maybe in a year or..."

After his voice trailed off, Piccolo finally looked down at Gohan to see the young man was fiddling with his thumbs. It was an action he had seem him do many times when he was nervous or fretful about some unnecessary issue. "What is it now? Your mother will be fine without you, and Bardock can go-"

"It's not that," Gohan feigned a smile that he knew could easily be seen right through. "It's just despite what my mind is telling me, my he-... gut? Is telling me to do it now. Like, as soon as possible. But I'm just afraid she's going to say... well, no."

"Ah crap," Piccolo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, hoping a situation about romantic endeavors would never happen to him especially since Namekians would never, ever worry about that. "Look... Gohan. This is hard for me, but do you want to know the truth?"

Gohan looked up at the green man with absolute forlorn eyes. "Just tell me..."

"Videl..." Piccolo had to close his eyes and reopen them to keep himself from just flying back to the lookout to avoid this mess altogether, but someone had to calm the boy down. "There couldn't be any other two people I'd like to see together as long as this crappy planet stays alive."

"Wow...Piccolo..." Gohan had to adjust his glasses when he felt them slipping from his sweat that was finally beginning to disappear. "You really mean that?"

Piccolo looked the young man before him up and down, from the black frames of his glasses to the brown dress shoes on his feet. Despite looking pristine, the Namek could still the mass of muscle perfectly outline underneath the blue sweater his former pupil wore. The sweet smile on his face that matched the innocent eyes of his was the one thing that had never changed throughout the years.

From a sniveling, frightened young brat to a confident, courageous man, Piccolo had seem him grow up so much and so fast. Now, with the news that Chi-Chi had revealed to him just yesterday, he was going to have a child of his own. One that would sure be showered with care and devotion beyond his or her imagination, one that would have a barrage of people protecting the child for as long as they lived.

Especially Piccolo.

"I have to go now. Take good care of yourself, kid. I'm... proud of you."

"Thank you, Piccolo," Gohan clasped his hands together after not sure what to do with them. He felt like he should hug the green man in front of him, but even he knew that wasn't a good idea. He loved Piccolo just as much as Piccolo loved him, but he definitely wasn't the type to love sudden embraces. Or any embraces, at that matter. "You've always been there for me."

At last the world's smallest smile had crossed Piccolo's features as he placed a large hand on top of Gohan's shoulder. "I'll always be here for you, kid. Don't you ever forget that."

* * *

Much to his surprise, not a single bone of Master Roshi's cracked as he bent down to sit on the stairs. Bardock was most likely at the top of the mountainous staircase, replacing the empty milk bottle with a fresh one. At this time of the day, the liquid must have been curdled by now. Still, the turtle hermit was impressed. There didn't seem to be much the scarred one needed to work on as far as agility and endurance went.

The gods above only knew what that Saiyan had been through in his life.

No. The only issue Master Roshi could see, the one thing he saw when he first met the father of Goku, was what was happening on the inside. Whether he needed a confidence boost, a brain teaser, or some sort of mind cleansing, the Saiyan was highly disturbed and rather secretive about it.

It might take awhile, but the old man knew he could get to the bottom of it. He needed to. None of his students would ever leave him feeling like they hadn't accomplished something. That was the turtle hermit way.

Despite the challenge it offered him, Master Roshi felt _good_. He felt _real good_. For the first time in years, someone had brought up Jackie Chun - his secret identity he thought had been long forgotten. For the first time in years, someone was taking him seriously. For the first time in years, he felt like his old, powerful self. And that someone, well, was the last person he thought he'd be training.

As the sky painted itself orange, Roshi took his cigarette from out of his pocket and lit it up slowly. Taking a long drag, he breathed out the smoke and breathed in the beginning of new days. The sound of familiar footsteps were coming closer to him until everything but the sound of birds squawking above could be heard.

"You want some?" Roshi offered, holding out his cigar for the Saiyan to take as soon as Bardock took a seat on the step beneath him. "There's nothing like a little relaxation while watching the sunset."

Bardock shook his head as the turtle hermit shrugged and continued to blow circles in the air. "I've got kind of a strange things with sunsets. It's not really much of a relaxing sight for me."

"No?" Roshi chuckled, taking another puff and leaning back. "What does it mean to you then, son?"

The Saiyan closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of pine trees. When the beautiful scent had turned into cigar smoke, his now opened eyes turned into a plaintiff scowl. "It just means I'm starting over again. I can't really see anything relaxing about that."

Master Roshi watched with a raised brow as Bardock picked up a piece of grass, and chewed on it while leaning back. Just as he had expected, there was some turmoil inside of him. "I know you're a grandfather now, but you're still a young man. You shouldn't be this stressed out about life. You need to learn how to take things easy sometimes. I know this world is a scary place, and life is unpredictable, but your fears are stopping you from living."

As the old man already guessed, Bardock changed the subject. "You taught my son the Kamehameha, didn't you?"

"Eeyup, little bastard got it down in seconds when I spent fifty years perfecting it."

"Why do you use that move so much?" For once, Bardock was asking in a sincere way. "Doesn't that get too repetitive or predictable?"

The turtle hermit shook his head slowly, and a grin with missing teeth found its way to him. "A wise man once said, 'I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.' Get it?"

Bardock was silent for a moment to take in his words. A large part of it made sense to him, but he still didn't understand how one move could give you everything you needed when fighters come at you with everything they had. "Does that work for you?"

Roshi gave his new student a sad smile. "Back in the day, yes. Not so much now. That 'one kick' isn't as powerful as it use to be coming from me."

"I think you're stronger than you take credit for, old man."

"And you're a better person than you take credit for, young man."

Bardock blushed at the compliment given to him, not sure how to take it. Instead, he shrugged it off and picked up the cartons full of empty bottles. "Can we start heading back to the island now? I have to get home to my family soon."

"Sure," Roshi nodded. "But we're going to take some short cuts by balancing on logs above canyons. I think you'll find it...interesting."

XX

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit..."

Bardock suddenly found himself limping through the meadow just a few miles away from home after leaving Kame House for the night. He had been flying just fine until now, when the pain running coursing through his entire body had caused him to take it easy for a bit. "At least it struck close to home," he grunted. "Should have taken a damn bean..."

 _Seriously. How the_ hell _did carrying milk jugs cause me to hurt this much!?_

"Roshi, you're onto something... I'll give you that."

Bardock couldn't help tighten his tail around his waist more as he looked up at the moon in the sky. He actually felt a bit disheartened when it wasn't full to the point he considered making a synthetic one. Oozaru could reach the house in one step...

"Do you remember this place?"

"What the hell?" Bardock mouthed, and quickly dove into a nearby flowery bush. He was so damn close to leaving the wooded area and getting home until he heard the familiar voice of his eldest grandson.

 _Isn't that little shit suppose to be gone already?_

The grandfather's eyes narrowed as he slowly popped his head out of the bush to the point that only his forehead and eyes were exposed. Sure enough, Gohan had made a stop directly in front of the plant with his arm locked with Videl's.

 _Great. I came home late to avoid this, and he's_ still _here._

Videl tapped her finger against her chin as she observed the area, and dismissed the rustling sound behind her for a squirrel. Once her baby blues locked back on with the dark orbs of her boyfriend's, she stuck her tongue out at him. "Of course I do, you doofus. This is the meadow behind your house. I can literally see your house from right here."

Gohan rubbed the sweat of the back of his neck while he chuckled to hide his embarrassment. Piccolo's words echoed in the back of his mind as his free hand fumbled around inside the pocket of his pants until he touched a small box. "But do you remember what happened in this meadow that makes it so special?"

Bardock's eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head. He wanted to scream. He wanted to faint. Anything to keep him from hearing about his grandson's first time.

 _Ican'thearyouIcan'thearyouIcan'thearyou_

"Gohan! How could I forget?!" Videl's words pipped up louder than Bardock's thoughts. The dainty woman stretched her hands all the way out to touch the top of the blushing Gohan's shoulders. "This is where you taught me how to fly! Bardock, Goten, Chi-Chi... Those were some of the best times of my life."

"I'm making it a promise to you to make everyday your best from here on out."

Bardock mouthed a silent thank you to the gods above, and then proceeded to watch as Gohan stood up straighter. There was a strange look of determination in his eyes, and it wasn't until Bardock's eyes caught sight of the object in his grandson's hands that he began to understand what was happening. It was something he had no right of witnessing, yet he couldn't turn away.

"...Gohan?" Videl blinked as she watched the spiky haired young man get down on one knee. This was a position she had witnessed in countless televised movies, the ones that she would throw popcorn at the screen and laugh at how cheesy it was. Seeing it in real life wasn't funny at all. In fact, it had left her vulnerable. "You...dork...what are you doing?"

Gohan took in a deep breath before letting the words that were in his heart escape through his mouth and hopefully sound as smooth as he had in his mind. Sudden fiery windows to the soul met with the dilated pupils trapped inside a blue ocean, and the young man knew it was now or never. Everything in his heart was right. The stars were perfectly aligned above the only woman meant for him.

"Videl, I know that you are meant for me because you scare the heck out of me and make me feel so happy at the same time. I remember thinking there was something wrong with your oculars because you would always stare at me in class, but then I realized I always stared at you too because you're so different from anyone I have ever met in my life."

Bardock was fighting a smile and the urge to jump out and make Gohan get on with it already, but instead he tried focusing on Videl's reaction. His definite near future daughter in law was standing feet away from him with those dainty hands of hers pressed against her heart as if it were going to completely fall out of her chest if she didn't. It was sort of hard to see since his exhaustion was setting in, but Bardock swore he could see little beads of tears beginning to form. She just had to know what was going to happen.

 _She's always been a smart girl._

"And when I introduced you to my family, you didn't run away crying and ripping your hair out. I mean, you cut it, but that was all on me. You stood face to face with my mother and impressed her. You made my younger brother completely fall in love with you, and my gramps will do anything to keep you safe. I guess what they all felt about you, I had been feeling the entire time. You impress me every day, I am always falling in love with you, and you better believe I will protect you forever and even after that. I would give my life for you, Videl Satan."

"..Gohan..."

The kneeling man finally brought the small box into view, and opened it slowly to reveal a certain ring that Videl had remembered. The sight of it caused her lips to tremble more than they already were. It was her mother's ring, given to her by the man she loved that was borrowed from the _first_ man she had loved since she opened her eyes in this world. She was already mouthing the word 'yes' before Gohan said it.

"Will you marry me?"

"YES!" Videl and Bardock cried out in unison, but the masculine sound of Bardock's voice caused both the lovebirds to scream and fall onto the grass with each other. When the fear had disappeared, large smiles broke out when they realized who the now reddened man was.

"Gramps!" Gohan cheered, and held on tightly to his new fiance with one hand while clenching the ring in his other. "What are you doing here!?"

"Creeping on us, as always," Videl winked teasingly at the flustered grandfather, who was looking around awkwardly as if he didn't know what was doing on. "Oh, come on! As fate would have it, you wouldn't ever let us leave without saying goodbye."

Bardock cursed to himself, but a Cheshire smile had found itself to his face. It had to be fate. As much as he didn't want to say goodbye, it had to be done. At least until next time. "Put the damn ring on her already, kid! Shit!"

"Oh, right!" Gohan placed the box on top of the grass and plucked the ring out. With a shaky hand, he managed to slip it onto Videl's finger and grew instantly relaxed when the ring had fit her perfectly. "See? Meant to be."

Knowing what would come next, Bardock looked away as the couple shared a tender, loving kiss with each other. After the sound of it had dispersed, Bardock offered either hand to the couple and lifted them to their feet with ease. Videl immediately gave the grandfather a tight squeeze with a kiss on the cheek to match. "When you're not being a grouchy grandpa, come visit us. Whenever you want."

When they separated, Gohan began laughing a bit nervously. "Well, at least when we're not in class! We've got to get through a couple semesters before the wedding; father in law's orders!"

Bardock rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around his oldest grandson's shoulder. "You just worry about taking good care of her, you got that?" Sure enough, a noogie was quick to follow as Gohan squirmed under his grandfather's grip.

"Okay, okay! Don't worry!" the young man was crimson from his laughter as Bardock released his grip on him, only to find himself in yet another embrace. Gohan could smell the scent of the ocean on Bardock despite the nearest one being miles and miles away from home. There was something so enduring about it that it took him a second to let go. "You better make sure to take care of Grandma, Mom, and Goten, alright? They need a man around the house now."

Bardock's brows knitted together in confusion and he quickly pushed Gohan away. "What the hell happened to your father!?"

Gohan tugged at the collar of his sweater nervously. "He, uh, went to go train on King Kai's planet. But don't worry! He said he would be back shortly!"

Videl could see the grandfather's veins slightly pulsate as soon as his fists clenched together. "Uh...Bardock? You okay?"

"Fine," he grumbled, but his eyes were now focused on something in the sky. "My son just broke a promise he made to me and his mother, that's all."

"He'll be back, Gramps. I know he will. He always comes back..."

When the two teens began to grow uncomfortable, Bardock tried to shake his anger off for the moment at least. With a deep sigh, Bardock brought the engaged couple into him with either arm for a half-assed hug. "You guys have a nice, _safe_ , _protected night together,_ alright? I'll stop by soon. I promise I won't cry too much tonight."

Another laugh was shared between the three members of a special family, one that echoed throughout the entire wooded area of Mount Paozu. The lone Saiyan now watched as his the first two people he encountered on Earth, two that he couldn't believe would tug on his heart strings the way that they did, fly off into a new adventure of their own. At least he knew it wouldn't take long to reach them, and as long as they had him, everything was going to be okay.

He was hoping, at least.

"Alright, now that those two had their moment, I need to make sure Gine is alright and-"

"Kakarot!"

Bardock cringed at the sound of the prince's voice coming from behind him, having sensed him beforehand but hoping he was imagining it all. As the messy-haired grandfather slowly turned around, his grin from earlier completely disappeared as he realized his senses were spot on.

"You may want to avoid landing in this meadow, prince. You could get lost in these tall bushes."

"Oh, shut up!" Vegeta barked back, and crossed his arms over his chest after looking Bardock up and down. "Where's your clown of a son? I need to have a word with him."

It wasn't until the moonlight had finally highlighted Vegeta's features that Bardock noticed there was something different about his appearance. The typical rough-around-the-edges look had been replaced with defeat and depravity, as if he were going through some eternal struggle he definitely would never speak about. "No," Bardock sighed. "Kakarot left to train with that King Kai person."

"Damn it!" the prince growled, and immediately turned his back on Bardock to leave. "That no good low class would leave at a time like this..."

"What business would you have with Kakarot that you can't handle through me?" Bardock questioned, not really caring what Vegeta had to say but rather curious about the prince's current situation. There was something about him doing through some sort of hardship that brought joy to the scarred warrior.

That got Vegeta's attention. The prince looked over his shoulder at Bardock until the dark laugh of his caused him to turn around fully. "You can't be serious? Look at you. You're limping! Did the old man break his back getting out of bed this morning or something?"

Said old man kept his mouth shut and eyes narrowed until the flamed haired prince stopped laughing at his own joke. "Look, Vegeta. I've had one hell of a day. Just tell me what I can say or do to make you leave."

Vegeta looked over Bardock for a moment before his expression turned from amused to serious. "I guess you could be of some use, dog. After all, you're the one who brought Tarble to me, and you're the one who's going to get rid of him."

"Shit," Bardock snapped his fingers in roughly in frustration. "I knew it! I fucking knew it! Every single time I work to be a better person, one of you bastards has to mess it all up!"

"Shut up, _grandpa_. You know damn well you're no better than I," Vegeta shrugged, knowing how much truth was to the statement as he ran a finger through his hair. He had an even longer day than Bardock. "Him and his wife have been driving me up the wall, and I need you to take care of them."

Bardock raised a thick black eyebrow and formed his hands into a gun shape, while pointing the 'trigger' at his temple. "Take care, take care?"

"No, you idiot!" Vegeta snapped. "I mean send them home! Get them out of mine! I can't do it, or that blasted woman would make me sleep..."

An amused chuckle escaped Bardock's lips as the prince suddenly grew flustered. "Please, go on."

"Bah. Just do it. In exchange, I'll give your little backwoods family some of that zeni crap Bulma has laying around."

"I don't want your money, Vegeta. I want your son to join in on some training with me at Kame House with my own grandkid."

"Fuck you."

"I figured you'd say as much, but hear me out. Let me take Trunks off your hands," Bardock continued, ignoring the dirty look he was receiving from the other end. "I know you take pride in training him, but this Roshi guy is really onto something. I can't explain it."

Vegeta began to grow irritated by the look in Bardock's eyes, no, _uncomfortable_ \- he looked just like his damn son, those big stupid eyes of a lost puppy. Bardock was suppose to be a savage warrior, dammit! What the hell is he doing training with that pervert? What could a mere human possibly teach that brute?

But just like his damned son, everyone seemed to enjoy Bardock. He was the only man willing to do the job of getting rid of Tarble.

"Fine, take the boy. It would be good to have some time to myself," Vegeta smirked cruelly and shrugged for the nth time. "Besides, the first time I turned Super Saiyan was out in space. Just imagine what possibilities I could come across if I did it again, especially with how far I have come since then!

Bardock frowned at the tugging of his heart he was feeling once again that day. There was something on the tip of his tongue that had to escape or else his mouth would continue to burn. Some distant memory of a pained face Chi-Chi crying into his chest when Goku was still dead came to mind the very moment Vegeta spoke of his plan. The scarred Saiyan just couldn't help it. "And your wife?"

"What about _my wife_?"

"You shouldn't leave her."

The two remained silent up to the point that dawn was starting to break through. When the sun rose, a strange sound escaped Vegeta's lips that caused Bardock to look at him once more. "You need to mind your own business," his voice began to grow quieter and gruffer as he continued. "But I'm not going to leave her."

Bardock nodded, but his eyes remained hooded. "What are you going to do, then?"

"Here's another little wager," the prince began to wear his smirk as he finally looked away from the yellow light in the sky. "If that old man actually does something of use for you, and you can actually prove it in a match against my son, then I will finally train you inside my gravity room that you were begging for the first time we fought."

The scarred warrior raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath through his nostrils. "Against Trunks and training inside your cave? What the hell is that going to do for me?"

"Tell me, dog, how many times this planet's gravity have you trained in? Most of your life was spent on Planet Vegeta besides those pathetic places Frieza sent you to destroy, correct?"

The 'F' word caused Bardock to glare down at the green tips of his boots. "What does that have to do with anything, short shit?"

"Both the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and our old home were ten times this planet's gravity, while my young Trunks has trained in three hundred times earth's gravity. As for why it's him you will fight instead of me?" Vegeta chuckled darkly and then tapped his temple with his index finger. "Well, I'm sure you've got a brain. That wouldn't end well for you."

Bardock, although he held pride inside of him, still was not as prideful as the prince. The red headbanded male ran his fingers through his hair as he contemplated the thought of fighting Trunks. Was it even possible for the boy, unfused, to defeat him? Or would Roshi's training improve Bardock's chances? And what about Trunks'? Either way, both of them needed whatever they could get.

"What if Trunks refuses to go?" Bardock called out before the prince could get too far. "The little bastard is as stubborn as you."

"You just rest your little baboon heart about it," Vegeta smirked while levitating in the air to go home. "The boy can easily be convinced. If not by me, his mother for sure." With that, the prince had left the other Saiyan behind to take all these deals and promises in.

Bardock looked down at his wrists. The navy blue band on the left that was given to him by Goten would always remain the same, but his old red one on the right had been remodeled with the kame kanji patch sewed in by the master himself. As the grandfather flipped his hands over, he studied the blank spot on the other side. For some reason, the thought of the Saiyan Royal Family symbol there crossed his mind.

With a shake of his head, Bardock started to zigzag back to his little home before Gine would wake.


	5. Game, Set, Match

"And where exactly have you been all night?"

The last thing Bardock expected to hear when he came through the door was the sound of his daughter-in-law prepared to give him the third degree. The scarred male winced away the remnants of anger he had inside of him, and closed the open door quietly before facing the woman sitting at the table. When he finally had, his brows knitted together at the peculiar sight.

Although it was only six in the morning, Chi-Chi was always up early for Dende knows what reason. There had never been a moment besides the time Bardock came to check on her at night that his daughter-in-law had never looked disheveled or unruly. Now, however, the bun she wore was drooping down as if it could no longer support itself against her scalp. There were dark shadows underneath her eyes, and her skin had slight blotches of red here and there. The blanket draped over her shoulders was signaling that she was cold despite the already hot summer morning hour, and the pink robe she donned was proof she wasn't ready for the day to begin.

"Oh relax," she rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her hot tea. The words written in red on the white porcelain spelled out her husband's name. "I'm just messing around with you."

When he heard the raspy, drained sound of her voice, Bardock immediately pulled out a chair to seat near her. He studied her blotchy skin while he spoke softly to her. "Are you upset that Kakarot left?"

A knowing but weak smile found its way to the wife as her fingers traced his name on the cup. "No. Not at all. I was the one that told him to go; it's what he loves. Goku will be back before you know it, and sooner if we really need him. You know how it goes."

"Gohan?"

"Same deal," the winked, but was interrupted by a short cough. Bardock placed a hand on her upper back until she stopped, and even through the thick material of her robe, he could feel her burning skin. "Everything's fine, I'm fine. It's all good."

He wasn't buying it. "Are you sure about that?"

"Mm-mm," Chi-Chi shook her head and sniffled right after. "I'm just not feeling a hundred percent, that's all."

The Saiyan had to glance at a random apple that fell out of its bowl on the table so the woman couldn't see the pitiful look in his eyes. She was sick, but he was almost certain she'd still attack him given the chance. "Sometimes, I forget you're only a human."

A short snicker was heard on the other end. "The only _full_ human in the house. But.. I guess when Goten goes to school, I will be."

Bardock's fist landed so harshly on the table that it caused the apple to roll off and Chi-Chi to jump up in surprise. When Bardock's oculars had suddenly flared up and were targeted for her, she clutched the blanket over her shoulders a little tighter. "Are you fucking kidding me!? You already ruined Gohan with that bullshit, now you're trying to do that to the kid!?"

The wife of Goku had to close her eyes, and took a deep breath to calm herself down before she snapped back. A half-baked argument with Bardock? She just didn't have the energy for that this morning. When her orbs flickered back on, they settled on the green leaf tea that was beginning to grow cold. "Gohan is far from ruined. He's already saved the world with his strength, now he's going to save it with his mind. He will have the perfect job when it comes to raising a family with the woman he loves, and that's that. He's happy."

The male knew when it was his turn to fire back, he had to extra careful. One wrong move and everything could go to hell. Go straight to jail, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars. His move, her response. "Alright," Bardock said aloud, mentally preparing himself. "Alright, I admit he _seems_ happy. But when exactly do you plan on sending Goten to school?"

Chi-Chi raised a finely trimmed eyebrow while tapping her red painted nails against the cup. Oh, he was good. _Real_ good. "In two weeks. Exactly when you go back to work as a gym teacher."

 _Shit!_

She was really pressing his buttons now. The poor Saiyan male had to watch his step before she somehow outsmarted him and made him say the wrong thing that would officially send his youngest grandchild to his own boring death for the next eleven years. "But _Chi-Chi_ , how could you possibly do that to the boy? His only friend would be a grade above him and I don't want him to turn into those Gothic things that hang around behind the building."

Oh, he got her right where it hurt. "...You mean those people that dress in all black and listen to punk music?"

"The very same," Bardock pressed, whose lips were twitching so hard because he was trying to conceal a smug grin. "Look, let's settle this. Why don't you home school Goten like you did for Goten and then send him off when he's eighteen? I mean, Gohan _did_ turn out pretty damn good if you ask me."

Game, set, match.

Chi-Chi remained silent while she mulled over the idea. Of course, she had more than enough money thanks to Hercule to send Goten to both primary school _and_ high school. But her father-in-law had a very strong point. Thanks to her ways of teaching, Gohan did turn out to be an amazing young scholar. Heck, she was the only teacher that could have done that for him, and everyone better believe she'd do the same for her little Goten!

"Wow..." her eyes began to glisten, and for the first time that morning she hadn't looked so miserable. "Just imagine! Two scholars in this family! All thanks to me!"

Bardock scoffed. "Yeah, I knew that'd cheer you up. But I have another proposition for you."

Once the sun began to glow brighter, the rays seeped through the window and landed directly on Chi-Chi. Thankful for the natural warmth, she removed the blanket from her shoulders and started to fold it. "Go on."

Could he possibly get his way twice in a row? Shit, it was worth a try. Without a moment's hesitation, he said, "I want Goten to train with me."

"Fine," was her shocking response, although every time she spoke her voice was getting raspier and harder to understand. "But you need to do me a favor."

Bardock couldn't push his luck anymore. With a sigh, he gave in. "What?"

Without a word, Chi-Chi stood up and began scuffling her feet to the door. Bardock soon followed her outdoors, but not without eyeing her suspiciously. The beads of sweat that formed on their skin was almost immediate the moment they entered the sunshine of an early summer morning. "Damn," Bardock muttered, and even had to hold a hand over his eyes to block the brightness. "Why is it so fucking hot?"

"Global warming, maybe?" she teased without turning around. "Maybe you should run for president and use that for your platform!" Her laughter suddenly ceased when she realized if that were to happen, Bardock would most likely hold annual purges and laugh like a maniac while watching mass murders go down on TV. She looked over her shoulder to tell him nevermind, but the brute was too confused. A silent thank you went out to the gods above for making her cynical father in law have the naivety of her husband.

Bardock was still trying to piece together what the hell she had just said, when he ended up bumping into her. A hand shot out to grab her before she went tumbling down. Once she seemed to be stable, Bardock removed his arm and looked at the object before them up and down. "You brought me to the shed?"

"Gohan's old textbooks are in there, and since I feel a little off today, I need you to bring them in the house for me."

"Simple enough," Bardock shrugged, and watched as Chi-Chi took a key from underneath a welcome mat. Personally, he had never been inside the shed but was always silently impressed by it. Ox King had built it with his own two hands, and it was the size of their home - if not bigger. Once the doors had been unlocked and pushed back, Bardock expected to see loads of loads of useless shit the Son family had bought over the years and just junked it.

Instead, it was a room that was beautifully lit by a large fan up above. It highlighted an extremely clean and seemingly soft carpeted flooring, and appeared as a large living room. The only thing that was on the floor was a stack of the aforementioned textbooks in the corner. Bardock observed the area in silent fervor as he walked across to get what Chi-Chi needed; only one thought lingering in his mind.

He had found himself homeless on two separate occasions. Planet Plant, and the brief time he spent on Earth before Gohan brought him to his true home. There was another young man out there who was currently homeless himself, with a wife, and a home planet that was most likely going to be terrorized over and over because nobody killed those two freaks he was running from.

Bardock would clench his fists together tightly if they weren't holding onto the stack of textbooks. Had he known about this lavish shed, he would have moved himself and Gine inside here. But they belonged with the now lonely Goten, and always would. Everything inside of him was telling him to do the right thing; and of course if Gine were awake and hearing his thoughts, she'd urge him as well.

The Saiyan grunted out of spite to amuse Chi-Chi as he placed the textbooks down beside her feet. "I'll carry these _inside_ the house for you, but not before I ask you for a favor now."

"Oh great," she huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "What is it?"

While he explained to her about the Tarble situation, he could see her features go from pensive to understanding in a minute. He coerced her with the idea that Gure was an excellent cook and would help around the house, but if they weren't needed, they'd just stay in their momentary home. The one thing that got to her, however, was the fact that the silence both Goku and Gohan had left behind -which he was almost positive was making her sick - would be gone.

"I'll give you the money to get a mattress and some furniture to put in there," Chi-Chi was beginning to sound slightly more cheerful, but her sudden burst of sneezes caused Bardock's hopes to fade away. Still, despite the remnants of snot on her upper lip, she flashed her father-in-law a grin. "We can at least make it as roomy as possible while they're here."

Even though sweat from the now risen son had found it's way to Bardock's tanned arm, Chi-Chi didn't mind when he draped it over her dainty shoulders and pulled her in closer to his side as they overlooked the land beyond.

"Want to do some yoga?"

* * *

"Do you remember me?"

Tarble fiddled with his hands underneath the table nervously while Bardock looked at him with cold, nearly dead looking eyes. Of course he remembered. How could he not!? He was the jerk that found Gure and himself, and then proceeded to insult him! Why, if he weren't so weak he would give that scarred Saiyan a piece of his mind... "Yes."

Goten had joined Bardock on his little mission, but the little tyke was too busy playing with some strange toy Trunks had left on the table that resembled a robotic bear. If everything went well, Trunks would be leaving with them to Kame House as soon as Tarble accepted the offer.

"Just be honest. Your brother is a real asshole, isn't he?"

A defensive look overtook Tarble, but his face was reddening as if he agreed with such an upfront and offensive question. "... Look, Bardock. Could you just tell me why you're here? Everyone is so secretive around here, and it's really starting to peeve me off."

The older, scarred Saiyan nodded. He had a feeling that the prince's brother should have 'I'm a nerd' stamped on his forehead just like his grandson. Unlike Gohan, though, you needed to get right to the point with this guy. Bardock slipped two fingers underneath his wristband and pulled out a small slip of paper, sliding it across the table to Tarble. "The reason why I think your brother is so moody lately is because he's trying to find a way to outclass my son which he will never, ever do and any distractions that enter into his life really fuck his training up. These are coordinates to a place you and your wife can stay for awhile. It's not much, but we got it set up pretty nice."

The shorter flamed-hair brother of Vegeta took the slip with trembling hands as if he couldn't believe it. He even pulled some sort of GPS device out of his pocket and punched in the location just to make sure it was real; an action that caused Bardock to roll his eyes in disbelief. He definitely had this guy labeled right. "W-Why are you doing this...? I never thought you... I can't possibly..repay you..."

Bardock shrugged, but felt slightly disheartened for the younger brother of the prince. The poor guy was nearly forgotten about by the royal family, and almost reminded him of a long-haired Saiyan that suddenly appeared in his mind until he had to force himself to shake it away. "Eh, don't worry about it. My wife and I need another member of the tail gang."

Tarble's eyes brightened up as his tail automatically swayed around. "You have to forgive me, Bardock... I mistook you for a brute. You're actually one of the more pleasant people around here."

"Alright, this is getting too soft for me. Just follow those coordinates to Mount Paozu and you'll find your new home," Bardock quickly got out of his seat without taking a second look at Tarble and Gure. He motioned for Goten to follow him, and then cupped his hands over his mouth to shout. "TRUNKS, LET'S GET A MOVE ON!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" came a distant voice, and soon the infamous time chamber group were rejoined once more. Tarble had left to tell Gure the exciting news before the three started pummeling each other out the door. Before they could depart, Bardock heard a tapping coming from the glass window of the second story. Once their eyes locked, Vegeta gave the scarred warrior a thumbs up.

* * *

"Come on, Bardock!" Master Roshi had grown extremely serious at this point. His shades were tucked away inside the pocket of his shirt. The tip of the wooden pole was pointed directly at the aforementioned Saiyan's forehead. His beard was covered with frustration sweat. "You will not learn the ways of my martial arts until you can accomplish this feat!"

The red headband of Bardock's was completely drenched in his perspiration. It wasn't until this moment that he realized how handy those things called 'pockets' on Earthling's clothing were; he could keep a handkerchief tucked inside of them like Chi-Chi. His eye sight was beginning to grow hazy, having never dealt with anything as excruciating as this.

"...Two?"

"ERR! WRONG!" Master Roshi swatted Bardock with his stick.

"Bardock, you big dummy!" Trunks slapped his knee with one hand while wiping his tear away with the other. "Man, I thought you were smart, but boy was I wrong!"

"Is it sixteen?" Goten questioned innocently, holding a paper high above his forehead. Truth be told, while Bardock was called upon to answer the question directly on the chalkboard, Trunks had written down the entire solution for the boy just so they could hurry up and get to the good stuff Krillin told them about. Bardock let out a low growl, sensing there was treachery afoot as he watched Roshi look over Goten's paper and nod.

"Well done my boy, well done!" Roshi whistled, and just crumpled the paper up to toss to the side. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the dirty way Bardock was eyeing the children. "I guess you're smarter than your grandfather."

Once Goten had happily skipped back to his seat by Trunks, the lavender-haired boy nudged him and whispered. "I bet he doesn't even know how to read."

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT!" Bardock snapped over the sound of their uncontrollable laughter. He snatched the white chalk off the board once more and threatened Master Roshi with a fist. "Give me a new one! Now!"

Roshi wriggled his white brows and shrugged, slowly turning to a new page in his textbook. "Okay. I'm only going to read this once, and it's a quick one. I hope you can retain information."

Bardock glared over his shoulder at the red-faced boys. "Bring it."

With a clearing of his throat, Master Roshi began. "According to the traditional song, on the first day of Christmas-"

"What the fuck is Christmas?"

"-my true love sent to me: A partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me three presents: two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me SIX presents: three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. This carries on until the twelfth day of Christmas, when my true love sends me: twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."

"...What?"

"After the twelve days of Christmas are over, how many presents has my true love sent altogether?"

"What the hell kind of question is that!?" Bardock's face was turning red due to a mixture of embarrassment and anger. He didn't understand a single thing that old man read, or what kind of crazy person came up with some shit like that. French hens? Is this some sort of recipe? A giant feast with milk maids and lords and ladies? "Give me another one!"

"Sorry," the turtle hermit turned his nose up, surprisingly being the one person who wasn't putting up with Bardock's demands. "This is your last chance. If you don't figure it out, you're done for the day."

Goten frowned when his grandfather released a blood curdling scream. He raised his hand so high up that his long orange sleeved drooped downwards. "Master Roshi, Master Roshi!?"

"Yes, my boy?"

"Well, I know you said you're not repeating the question but do you think I could sing the song to help my grandpa out?" the child's frown deepened when Bardock began furiously scribbling on the chalkboard. "He hasn't been on Earth as long as me and Trunks to know how it goes."

Noticing the cringing of Bardock, Trunks smiled devilishly. His father had told him about the plan to outclass and outsmart him in every way possible before their one on one would happen. Perhaps getting a little under his skin couldn't hurt, either. In a way, he was his grumpy grandfather as well. "Yeah, Master Roshi. I think he really needs it. He's not as smart as Goten and me."

"Hmm," Master Roshi stroke his beard while eyeing Bardock. The poor Saiyan was mumbling and grumbling himself, trying to sort the information he had been given through his mind and ignoring the background noise. "Oh, why not? Go ahead, boys. Sing your lungs out."

"OHHHHHH! ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO MEEEEEE..."

Bardock's grip on the chalkboard was deadly to the point that all that was left was a stub. He had never heard anything more painful than the sound of those two brats singing. It shouldn't even be called singing. It was aggressive yodeling. "For every twelve days, they got twelve..." he waited for Goten and Trunks to scream the word. "Partridges! Whatever the fuck that is..."

"FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE GOLDEN RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS!"

"Good God I have to finish before I rip their lungs out myself," Bardock muttered as he tried to concentrate his hardest on the song he had already retained. At least, he had hoped that would happen since the boys were already singing it for the tenth time. "Twelve plus twenty-two..."

And then, something happened.

It was if someone had completely tuned out the unwelcome sounds of seagulls squawking and the boys' aggressive yodeling and he was in his own world. The only thing there was the chalkboard - the one object he was focused on - and his thoughts. How many times had he been in battle when there was too much going on for him to focus on his one and only objective? His hands were like clockwork as numbers and ideas and formulas ran through his mind. This is what Roshi had been talking about.

It was some sort of tranquility.

Finishing the attack in one, swift move - no, that one kick practiced 10,000 times - and completely obliterating the enemy until he succeeded.

"364 fuckin' presents!" Bardock ripped the chalkboard off the easel and shoved it in front of Master Roshi's face. "12 partridges, 22 turtle doves, 30 French hens, 36 calling birds, 40 gold rings, 42 geese laying, 42 swans swimming, 40 maids a milking, 36 ladies dancing, 30 lords a leaping, 22 pipers piping, and 12 god damn drummers drumming! And you know what else!?"

Master Roshi removed the chalkboard from Bardock's hands and lowered it. "What was that?"

"I really hate Christmas."

XX

* * *

"Where's Goten?" Chi-Chi croaked. It was the first thing she had asked when she heard Bardock enter the room. Her eyes had been aching and burning to the point that Bulma delivered a medicated blindfold to finally rest them, momentarily blinding her from her surroundings. If her son had come inside with Bardock, he would be squeezing the life out of her neck and trying to spoon feed her marshmallow squares.

Bardock made a 'what-the-fuck' gesture to the mask Chi-Chi was wearing at Gine, who clicked her tongue at him. The scarred male stuck his tongue out at her in response, but joined her on the opposite bed. "I told him to go visit with his new neighbor Tarble for a minute. The little bastard got sprayed by a skunk after Roshi had us running through the woods."

"A WHAT!?" Chi-Chi screeched, sitting up immediately and straining herself. "My poor baby boy! I have to-"

"You have to do _nothing_ ," Gine ordered in a strict tone that even Bardock feared. She got off the bed and forced Chi-Chi gently back down, and then started massaging her hand to calm her nerves. "Gure has some sort of recipe to get rid of the smell. He's going to be okay, but not if his mama keeps making herself sicker!"

Chi-Chi muttered some incoherent noise, but her features seemed to relax immediately as Gine continued to comfort her. Bardock sat a little closer to the side of the bed and watched as Gine worked her magic on their daughter-in-law to the point she almost fell asleep. "What are you doing in our room anyway, lady? You have your own little den."

"I miss Gohan," she admitted quietly while turning her neck to the side so her nose was pressed against the navy blue pillow. "The stuff he left behind still smells like him."

The grandfather wasn't liking the way he was feeling after hearing that, but he wasn't sure if it were pain or anger. "Did you tell him to come over?"

"I'll get over it," Chi-Chi's voice raised slightly, as if she were telling her father-in-law to back off. "We can't keep finding excuses to call him back to us, Bardock. He needs to start living his own life."

Gine gave Chi-Chi a pat on her hand, signaling that she was done with the massage and returned to her spot on the bed with her husband. The only female Saiyan there was instinctively nestled her head against Bardock's herculean shoulder when he exposed the area for her. The soft-hearted woman donned a frown. "Tell me, daughter. Is that how you handle Kakarot being gone? Just sniff his belongings and wait for him to finish whatever he's doing?"

"In a way, yes. But want to know something crazy?"

Bardock and Gine exchanged looks with each other as a transparent light by Chi-Chi bedside had suddenly appeared, and none other than their messy-haired son followed. They wanted to open their mouths to speak to him, but he placed a single finger against his lips while his eyes pleaded for them to remain silent. Slowly and as quietly as he could, Goku placed himself next to his sick wife in the spot that was left open.

"What's that, Chi-Chi." Bardock said, watching as Chi-Chi breathed out a gentle and lazy sigh when her head automatically rested against her husband's chest.

"It always feels like he's right here beside me."

XX

* * *

It had been so long since Beerus had felt that incredibly inadequate, hollow joke of an emotion.

Fear.

Even the name of it was downright deficient.

Yet here he was, the God of Destruction, beginning to experience _fear_. No, it wasn't much. But the single tremble of his finger tip, the quick twitch of his ear, and the way his heart was slightly pulsating at a quicker rate than usual - well, it was something he honestly could do without.

Still, there was something else inside of him. The being standing just a few meters away from him was sending out a power that was absolutely thrilling to the core for Beerus. The opponent had emerged from an exploding planet, one that the purple skinned deity had destroyed himself, and was one among the stars of a cold, black space.

"You have the ki of a god," Beerus mused as his tail swayed silently behind him. "Which universe do you come from?"

The previous smirk on the feline's face immediately turned downwards to an irritated scowl when the stranger refused to speak. He couldn't make out the face of this god, as he seemed to be completely illuminated with a flaming light. The shape, however, was quite plain to see. The unknown god was slender, but perfectly chiseled while maintaining a threatening pose with his arms flexed upwards.

The outline of his hair was spiked upwards, almost like wild flames. The attire could not be made out, but Beerus notice the tip of his boots were sticking out predominately. Then, at last, a long bushy tail resembling that of a monkey's. The yellow orbs of the sphynx narrowed, knowing that he had seen an alien race with that form of mutation somewhere but couldn't place a name at the moment.

"So, you do not speak?"

Again, the other god remained silent.

"Very well," Beerus outstretched his arm before him with the back of his hand facing the opponent. His lips curled into a wicked smile as he coerced the god to come at him with the universal twitch of the index finger. "You will fight me here and now."

Whis raised a thin eyebrow while watching the bundle that was the deadly God of Destruction tossing and turning wildly on the floating rock above. The purple sphynx kept shouting out, "Worthy adversary!", and "You made me bleed my own blood!" in his sleep.

"Poor Lord Beerus," the powerful attendant spoke with hints of mockery in his voice. "He's having a nightmare."

He considered awakening the god just to put him out of his stupor, but after he took a look at the hourglasses floating around him, there was nothing to do but shrug and wait. Beerus certainly cherished his sleep despite the strange visions he encountered during his REM cycle, and there were still five more years left until his alarms would do the awakening for him.

For now, there were plenty of planets to visit with food not yet tasted.

XX


	6. Nightmares

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before." - Edgar Allan Poe..._

 _Smart guy!_

 _I have had some pretty horrific dreams in my lifetime - well, I guess they're called nightmares - so I guess that's maybe why it popped out to me when I was reading my literature book. The thing is, the last one I ever had was when Cell...killed...my mother and Piccolo. It was as disturbing as it sounds, trust me. I know it's most likely a good thing I haven't had these nightmares for more than seven years, but something stranger has been going on._

 _I haven't had a dream, either._

 _Now I sit here, in the midnight dreary. I'm pondering, and just a little weak and weary._

 _It's been two weeks since Videl and I have moved in together. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love her. She's sleeping behind me right now. Did you know that she snores like a bear? I don't mind, though. Since Mom does it, too, Dad told me to enjoy it while it's there because I'll miss it when it's gone._

 _So snore on, my little Viddy._

 _Still, despite living with my bear, there has been something troubling me. My mother hasn't talked to me since I said goodbye. Trust me, I've called so many times. Gramps and surprisingly Vegeta's brother always answer, telling me to call back later and not saying anything more. I got sick of it, so I continuously visited her whenever I had the chance._

 _She was never home._

 _I'm worried. Is she mad at me for some reason? No...that can't be right. Even when Mom was boiling over, she never ignored me. It's just so strange, because even Goten - little can't keep a secret Goten - tells me the same thing Gramps does. Has she gone on a secret vacation? Maybe staying with Grandpa Ox or something on Fire Mountain until Gramps finishes training or Dad comes home?_

 _No..._

 _She wouldn't leave Goten._

 _Man, if she knew this little stunt she's pulling stresses me out to the point I can't study or sit through class right, she would stop this and talk to me._

 _Mother..._

 _What in the world is going on?_

Gohan dropped his pen onto the fresh page he turned to, and ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. Thoughts of his mother and all the possibilities of what could be happening were too distracting even for writing now.

The young man looked over his shoulder to see the bear was still snoring and breathing peacefully. A dramatic yawn escaped Gohan as he pushed his chair back to stand up. As soon as he began stretching, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. After he ran his fingers through his hair, parts of it had gathered to stick up like devil horns.

"Well," he chuckled quietly while giving his reflection a wink. "I _am_ marrying Miss Satan, after all!"

Gohan turned his back to the mirror to give the clock a quick glance. It was reading half past five, meaning he had to be in his literature class in two hours. The hybrid released a defeated chuckle, knowing darn well he wasn't even going to be able to sneak in a wink of sleep. He patted his stomach once it made a gurgling sound, and realized it was still a bit bloated from all the pizza he'd eaten that night.

He whistled quietly while making his way over to the closet. "If my little fiancee is going to try and fatten me up, she's sorely mistaken!" He dramatically yanked a green tracksuit from the hanger, giving it a quick once-over and nodding in approval. After he had gotten dressed, he glanced over at the bed one more time to make sure he hadn't awaken the woman in it.

Gohan tiptoed over to her, and leaned down slowly to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. If his mom wasn't absolutely positive they weren't doing anything more than sleeping in the same bed before marriage, she would definitely ring his neck.

But thoughts of his mother caused him to frown as he pulled himself away from Videl. Something just wasn't right here, downright fishy and confusing all the same. Gohan shook his head, deciding that it was best to run off the worry. He snatched the lanyard off the table near the door after making his way to the living room, and locked the door behind him.

The city was so very different from the mountains, but there were little moments here and there that reminded Gohan of home. The sun was due to rise in exactly one hour, and when that happened, everything would get hectic and busy almost instantaneously. However, in the remaining hours of darkness, everything was calm. Cars were parked, stores and businesses were closed. Not one single police siren could be heard.

A serene expression grew on Gohan as he started to jog down the sidewalk. The apartment they lived in wasn't far from Hercule Satan's mansion and Videl's previous house at all, and for once the boy could walk by the gate without seeing a ton of fans trying to crawl over it.

"GOHAN! HEY BUDDY!"

The man who was approaching the end of his teenage years continued to jog in place as he pivoted around to greet the man whose voice surely couldn't be mistaken for another. "Heya, Mr. Satan! What are you doing out here so early?"

The world champ sped up his pace so he could close the distant between himself and his almost son-in-law quickly. He placed his large hands on his hips and threw his head back, howling. "Now, what did I tell you last time!? Call me Hercule!" The man cleared his throat seriously after not hearing Gohan laugh in return. "I'm, uh, glad to hear that your mom is out of the hospital. Those bills are somethin' furious, but I'm relieved that money I gave you will-"

"What!?" Gohan had ceased his voluntary movement, but his legs were quivering against his will. "My mom was in the hospital!?"

Hercule turned bright red, realizing that he said something he wasn't suppose to. "N-No...?"

"I don't believe this!" he shouted in frustration, and raised his clenched fist in the air. Hercule blinked, and took a step backwards. He had seen Gohan mad before, and didn't want to be a victim of the electricity that could surround his body at any given moment. "If she was in a hospital, senzu beans couldn't heal her! Was it that serious, and NOBODY told me!?"

"L-Look, buddy, I don't want any trouble!" Mr. Satan continued to back up after noticing the rapid trembling of Gohan's body. "She was just sick with somethin' nasty. She's home now, though, healthier than a horse! Yup! I reckon she didn't tell ya because she didn't want ya to worry, since you're starting school and all."

Gohan closed his eyes tightly for a minute, sensing that he was frightening Hercule. His near father-in-law did mention that Chi-Chi was home and healthy, so he was the wrong person to argue with. "Thanks for telling me, M- Hercule. I'll go visit her later."

Mr. Satan sighed in relief, and got close to Gohan once again. "I think she'd like that. Miss Chi-Chi told me she was going to call you sometime today."

The two began walking side by side, which slowly turned into a jog once more. Gohan didn't ask for it, but he was grateful for the company. At least with Mr. Satan there, he could get _some_ answers. "What were you doing talking to my mom, anyway?"

"She called me about wedding details and told me everything," Hercule shrugged, and wiped some sweat away with the back of his hand. "I really don't know what the heck she was babbling about half the time, but I did understand the part about her bein' sick."

Everything had grown silent again except for the sound of birds beginning to wake people up with their song. Although Gohan had to slow himself down that majority of the time, he jogged directly beside Hercule through the streets that were beginning to lighten up from the rising sun. He glanced over at the human, noticing that he had more beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "Are we going anywhere in particular, Herc?"

The Afro-haired man seemed to enjoy the nickname. He pointed a hairy finger at a hill in the not so far distance. "Right up there! There's an amazin' view of the city park. I think it's a good place to stop and chat before the fans come out and hunt me down."

It turned out that Hercule was absolutely right about the view being amazing. From where they stood, they could overlook the entire town. The two stood on the grassy hill and allowed the early morning breeze to dance against them. Gohan enjoyed this part of the city greatly, and had to make a mental note to do this more often.

"Was my dad there at all, with my mom?"

"Goku? Hm.. No. I don't think so. He's been-"

"Training," Gohan cut Hercule off with a sad smile. "I know. I just thought he might have come home, at least for a bit. But I know how hard he works so he could keep everyone safe."

"That reminds me...I need to ask you something," the loud mouth of Hercule had suddenly become small and almost timid, that Gohan had to turn around fully to look at him. "Have you... ever held it against me? You know... about what happened a little over seven years ago?"

It didn't take long for Gohan to figure out what he was talking about. The young man had wondered if and when Hercule would bring it up. Truth be told, Gohan had gone over the scenario a thousand times in his mind. There wasn't an ounce inside of him that could blame Hercule for what he did. Sure, he went as far as to believe his own lies, but everything up to this point in Gohan's life would have been so different if he was given the credit. If anything, Mr. Satan would be the laughing stock of the World for not being the one to save it and would have disappeared with Videl to save himself the embarrassment.

Goten being brought up with the finer things in life would have led him to have the mentality of Trunks. As much as Gohan loved the lavender-haired kid, he much preferred Goten being the way he is. His mother wouldn't have faced so many hardships that were caused by the lack of cash, but then again, the situations they had gone through made her the stronger woman she is now.

Even if she was a sneak.

"Nah. Not one bit. If it weren't for you helping Android 16 talk to me, nobody would be alive."

Hercule was taken aback by this. He had always figured that his daughter's boyfriend turned fiance would have some hidden resentment. However, as he looked into his eyes, he knew that Gohan was being completely honest. Instead of continuing the questions, Mr. Satan rubbed the back of his neck while looking down at his black boots. "When-er-if you and Videl have kids, do you think they'll be able to turn all yeller like you?"

Gohan chuckled softly at the terminology, and then placed his hands on his hips. "Well, to be honest, I don't really know! If we have a baby, that baby is only going to be one-fourth Saiyan. I guess we'll have to find out for ourselves!" When Hercule didn't respond, Gohan continued. "Why? Do you not want to have a little monster for a grandchild?"

Mr. Satan quickly snapped his head up and raised his hands in front of him frantically while sweating profusely. "No, no, no! I don't think you Saiyans are monsters, you fellas are some of the strongest men I know! I just..." a smile had finally arrived when he noticed Gohan was grinning widely, showing that he wasn't offended one bit. "I just think it'll be kinda cool for someone with my blood to have that kind of strength. Ya know, besides his champ of a grandfather there, he'll be able to hold his own against anyone who dares messes with him."

Hercule proceeded to do a karate chop, causing Gohan to shake his head while maintaining a happy expression. "You keep saying 'him'. What if we end up having a daughter?"

The two exchanged horrified looks with each other before laughing hysterically for a good five minutes. Mr. Satan pounded Gohan's back after wiping a tear away from the corner of his eye. "Man, that's a good one! You're a funny, funny kid!"

Behind the hysterical tears, Hercule was screaming on the inside. He knew how hard it was raising a daughter, and would be damned if he had to do it all over again with a granddaughter. Boys would chase after her, he would have to keep up with his training to make her believe he was the strongest in the world, and with Gohan's blood mixed inside her?

She could very well kick his ass when she got mad.

"Yup, that's me! Good ol' funny Gohan!" the young man was awkwardly laughing along with his soon to be father-in-law, and it was working perfectly to hide the tears he was crying on the inside.

Boys were easy to raise. He knew from experience, having helped Chi-Chi bring up Goten. Girls, though? A shiver ran down his spine that Hercule repeatedly kept patting just thinking about it. Boys would chase after her, he would have to keep up with his training to make her believe he was the strongest in the world, and with his blood mixed inside her?

She could very well kick his ass when she got mad.

* * *

"It's about time you showed up!"

Trunks was glaring at the messy-haired adult Saiyan whom had just landed on the sandy shores of Kame House, but was quickly taken aback at what he say. This man couldn't possibly be Bardock. Gone was his armor he wore so proudly; for now he was wearing a maroon sleeved, grey sweatshirt with black sweatpants. The only thing that remotely looked the same about him was the red headband and different colored wristbands. Other than that, he was looking more like a bum then a warrior.

"Man, what the heck are you wearing that for!?"

Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. "I must admit, you sure look different without your armor."

Bardock began to open his mouth to snap at the two, but Goten stood up for him. "I think Grandpa looks cool! His boss told him he had to start going by the gym teacher dress code, so Grandma and me went out and bought him that! Huh, Grandpa!?"

The adult furrowed his brows while removing the whistle from his neck and tucking it into his pocket. "Look, I've had a long day. Can we just get started with today's challenge?"

"Why are you still a coach?" Trunks continued, ignoring the groan that was coming from Bardock. "Goten said you guys are loaded now."

"Maybe I enjoy verbally abusing and torturing kids to continue it!" Bardock threatened, and took a step towards the inquisitive child. "I just think it's the greatest thing in the world!"

"Alright, alright!" Roshi interjected, trying to break up the would-be fight. Once they were settled down and separated in the middle by Goten, the turtle hermit cleared his throat and gestured to three objects behind him. "Just as Goku and Krillin did before you, you three will each wear these twenty ton turtle shells during your training today. We are going to land, and then walking to Mount Paozu from there."

"Twenty...tons?" Trunks gulped. "H-How could you find a turtle that heavy?"

"Yeah..." Goten blinked at the vastness of the shells, wondering if he'd end up on his back once he tried it on. "That's like...sea monster size."

Bardock crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes at the nervous children. "Oh, shut up you idiots. Once you turn Super Saiyan, these things won't feel like shit-"

"Uh, uh, uh!" Roshi cleared his throat once more. "Remember, Bardock, there will be no Super Saiyan business here. You train as Goku did before you. Those were his orders."

The scarred warrior's fangs were nearly protruding out as he snapped at the master. "What the fuck!? What do you mean _his orders_!?"

"Why do you think I wasn't hesitant one bit taking you under my wing?" the old man began stating as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "You're not the easiest person to work with, Bardock, but Goku visited before he went off to King Kai's planet and gave me instructions that you have to follow. That is, if you want to be as strong as your son...?"

Bardock grumbled under his breath, and without saying a word, he stomped past the amused and chuckling Roshi with his two brats following closely behind. The amusement could only keep growing as he watched Goten immediately fall on his back, while Trunks was visually straining himself to stay up. Bardock was observing the action of the prince's son while Goten began to look more and more like a slug. If the boy could withstand that, maybe there was something to Vegeta's training he was missing out on.

After one too many cuss words from the moody grandfather, and repetitive complaints from the boys, the group had finally made it to Mount Paozu without losing a single member. "There you go, fellas," Roshi whistled, and watched as they sighed with relief while removing the shells and dropping them with a thud to the ground. "Two _beautiful_ ladies aren't too far from here, if I recall."

Upon hearing his sneaky chuckling, Bardock raised a hand in the air. "Watch yourself, Roshi."

"Sorry, sorry!" Roshi sweatdropped, and took a step backwards for extra precaution. Goten and Trunks hurriedly ran to a bush that wild berries were growing on. Having lived on Mount Paozu his entire life thus far, the messy-haired mini Goku knew exactly which were poisonous and which were edible. The old man cleared his throat as the two began munching. "Has your family ever brought you here?"

"I fucking live here."

"No, I mean this specific section of Mount Paozu," Roshi chuckled. "Look at that home right there. Seem familiar?"

Bardock followed the direction the turtle hermit was pointing, and blinked once. It looked like a run down hut, with red bricks at the bottom and white paint on top of that. It was extremely small, as if only one person had lived there.

"No."

"They've never really brought you here?" Roshi asked again, and was still surprised when Bardock nodded. "Huh. This was Goku's first home, the place where my old friend Gohan lived for many years. I think the crater he found your son in isn't too far from here, either. I'm surprised you've never noticed it before, Bardock. Trees and shrubbery have grown rampant, but if you peer through them, your house is literally right next to it."

Interested now, Bardock eyed the small red-bricked temple. Yes, he had seen this place before. When he still had the power of futuristic visions, he had seen it when the wife of Vegeta first encountered Kakarot in the background. As for that old man that had carried him away from the pod, he must have been Gohan. The first Gohan and the one that raised his son throughout the beginning of his childhood, which was later finished through Roshi.

"You guys..." Bardock rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and looked at something in the distant instead of the man he was going to compliment. "You guys did a pretty decent job raising him."

Behind his sunglasses, Roshi's eyes flashed over with a sense of pride. After chuckling to himself, he reached his hand up to pat Bardock's shoulder while the two watched Goten and Trunks wrestle each other over the last berry. "Well, my boy, it looks like you've been given a second chance."

* * *

The prince found himself having one of those nights where he just stared up at the ceiling without a thought in his head. He couldn't explain the randomized insomnia, no matter how hard Bulma tried to come up with something to fix it. His wife was currently snug up against him, getting some rest he so wanted to have but knew it wouldn't be likely.

At least not tonight.

His senses finally picked up on his son's ki, and he smirked hearing the boy trying to break into his own bedroom. After hearing a 'sonuvabitch' and a couple 'shit's, words surely picked up by Bardock - at least if Bulma ever asked - Trunks had finally landed onto his bed with a couple of squeaks to follow. Vegeta gently pushed Bulma's head off his chest so he wouldn't wake her as he slid off the bed and began walking down the hall.

The light seen from Trunks' bedroom immediately went off as the footsteps of the prince were heard, but the door remained open. Knowing full well he could sense him anyway, Vegeta entered without a word.

"Oh...Dad. What are you doing up so late?" the boy yawned for dramatic effect.

Vegeta raised a black brow up slightly as he took a seat at the edge of his son's bed. The boy had the same messed up hair his mother did when she woke up first thing in the morning. He even had that confused blinking of the eyes as if he were a lost puppy. "I thought you'd be training with that old pervert."

"No," he spoke in a sleepy voice, although he had been faking it the entire time. "Roshi and Bardock tell us we always have to squeeze in time for some rest, but between you and me, I don't really think old man Bardock gets any sleep. He's always so uppity about something."

"Ah yes," Vegeta leaned backwards a little, using his hands for support as they touched the blue bedding. "He think he's so damn discreet. Have you any idea why he's been like this?"

Trunks frowned, and tried raising his comforter up higher so his father couldn't see the reddening of his face. "Well, uhm... Bardock told me not to tell anyone," he lowered the blanket when his conscience told him what was right. "But I guess it's alright to tell you. You're like the strongest person there is!"

The prince smirked. "That's right, boy. Now tell me. What has gotten Bardock so...uppity?"

"There's some God of Destruction named Beerus coming, but he has no idea when!" Trunks couldn't control himself. He was letting it all come out now, even to the point where he was inching closer and closer to his father with excited eyes. "He's suppose to show up when Videl's pregnant with Gohan's baby, and that's so cool because Goten gets to be an uncle! And then he didn't tell me anything after that, but I could tell there was more! He just didn't want to tell me!"

While his son kept rambling, Vegeta eyed something in the corner of his son's bedroom while a single name kept tugging his mind in all sorts of directions and into distant memories.

 _Beerus..._

 _Where have I heard that name before?_

"What's wrong Dad?" Trunks frowned. The boy was now seated side by side with Vegeta, and had placed a small hand against his father's broad shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Did Bardock happen to describe this Beerus character?"

Trunks tapped his chin with his index finger while thinking long and hard about everything Bardock had told him. Of course, being just like his father, he had to know every specific detail and wouldn't leave the scarred grandfather alone until he got what he could out of him. "Uhhhhm, he said he's like a purple cat or something with long ears and-"

Before his son could finish, Vegeta had already gotten to his feet and was backing himself up against the wall. His pupils were completely enlarged with a fear that Trunks couldn't understand, and frankly, it was beginning to frighten him. His breathing was uneasy, there was perspiration forming on all sections of his skin, and his hands were shaking so hard the boy child thought he was going to lose them. "...Dad?" he asked, and began slowly getting out of bed. "What's up? Are you alright?"

The mere sight of the clenching of his father's fists was enough to silence the boy. "Trunks. Listen to me. This isn't about a damn competition anymore. We all know you and I could take that low class dog and his kin any day. But this is serious. Bring them here tomorrow morning."

"Wow, you really mean it, Dad!?"

"Do I ever lie to you?"

Trunks took that question seriously for a minute. His father was many things, but a liar wasn't one of them. His blue irises light up despite the dull lighting of his bedroom. "I'll go get them in the morning!"

* * *

"You know, you don't have to look at me like that."

"I'M MAD!"

Chi-Chi clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes before placing a bowl of rice in front of her angry-faced son, who was acting more child than man. "There was absolutely no reason to worry about me. You just started your fall classes, I wasn't going to mess that up for you! Besides, look at me. I'm back to a hundred percent!"

"After going to the freakin' hospital!" Gohan scowled, and angrily swallowed his food. He glared at his mother as she took a seat next to him. "It must have been really bad if a Senzu bean couldn't help!"

Chi-Chi waved her hand in front of her face, as if she could dust away all of her son's frustrations. "Gohan, honey, everything turned out alright. Didn't it?"

"I guess," he grumbled, and stabbed his rice. "But still... you don't know how much not hearing from you at all distracted me. I think I would have been less worried if you guys just told me. I'm not a baby, Mom, I can handle it. I could have taken care of you. I _should_ have taken care of you! I-"

The boy stopped talking when he felt his mother's palm land on the top of his hand that was pressed against the table. She gave it a simple squeeze. "You didn't have to do anything. You do enough for this family. Everything is alright, now. We can drop this."

Gohan's brows knitted together as he removed his hand from his mother's. He dropped his chopsticks that were in the other and slammed them both down harshly, nearly breaking the table Bulma promised was indestructible. Chi-Chi was absolutely wrong about everything being alright. Ever since the celebration after Buu's defeat, nothing had been alright. Every single person in his life were acting so shady that it was beginning to drive him to the point of madness.

"No, MOM!" Gohan spat. He stood up abruptly and was pointing a shaky finger at the surprised woman. "Everyone in this house, everyone on the lookout, everyone in West City, South City, Kame House... YOU'RE ALL WALKING AROUND LIKE YOU HAVE A HUGE SECRET YOU CAN'T SHARE WITH ME! I AM SO...DARN SICK OF IT!" After the teen had finished his rant, he was breathing heavily and looking directly into the eyes of his mother who seemed so desperately wanting to own up to it.

For the sake of the future Bardock predicted, she couldn't.

Chi-Chi pulled her chair back, and stood before her angered son. He towered over her just like her husband, and had every single quality besides that fighting spirit of his. It was something she was grateful for. "Nobody is keeping a secret from you anymore, son. _I promise_."

Gohan lowered his head, beginning to feel embarrassed by his outburst. His eyes were focused on the red painted toenails of Chi-Chi's bare feet. "I finally had a dream."

"Yeah?"

"You and Videl died."

"That's..." Chi-Chi sweatdropped. "... Uh? I don't really know what to say to that, honestly."

Gohan looked at her with exhausted eyes, and placed his hands on her small shoulders that very much resembled Videl's. "It's so forgetful that you two are only human, Mom. After Mr. Satan had told me you were hospitalized, I dreamed that a sickness we Saiyans couldn't be affected by took your life. Then Videl's. Do you know how much it hurts knowing that I can't protect you from everything?"

"Gohan-"

"And it got me thinking," Gohan took a deep breath, and was prepared to hear his mother's response after this. "It's my duty to protect you from the things I am able to. I'm just afraid that without training, I'm going to end up losing the majority of my strength like I did when I started high school. Of course I'll still go to all my classes, but I really wanted to train with Dad. He did so well with me before, and... I can't lose you and Videl, especially when I could easily prevent it."

Chi-Chi looked at him for a moment, and after realizing he was being serious, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. "

"It's my purpose to always keep you safe, Mom," the man held onto the small woman tightly. He had always known that for such a dainty thing of a person, she was stronger than he could ever fathom. "Always. Please don't ever do that to me again."

Chi-Chi rested her chin on her son's shoulder, and tried blinking away the tears that were brimming in her eyes. "If you somehow manage to get your father to come get you, can you promise me one thing?"

"Of course."

"Come back to Videl every night."

Gohan pulled her away and couldn't help but laugh at the pleading look in Chi-Chi's eyes. "Ma, are you crazy!? I can't sleep without her by me! She'll never wake up alone. I can promise you that."

Relief completely washed over the mother when she knew her son was being as truthful as ever. She was happy she raised a terrible liar. After giving him a light punch on the shoulder, she picked the dish with his remaining rice and empty it in the trash can. "Well, since she's gone for the weekend, what are you going to do?"

Gohan shrugged, but a childish smile remained on his face. "Where's Gramps, Grandma, and the little dude?"

"If your outburst from earlier didn't wake them up, they're all sleeping in the room." Chi-Chi winked, and the mother-son duo exchanged another tight embrace before they went their separate ways.

Luckily for Gohan, the door to his old shared bedroom was cracked open. He entered with quiet ease, and smiled at the sight the moonlight seeping in through the window was creating. It was shining on the very center of the conjoined beds, where three bodies were sleeping peacefully snuggled up to each other. His grandmother's arms were wrapped around Goten's, and Bardock's arms were wrapped around her.

It was like a little Saiyan train.

He gave Goten a peck on his forehead, just so he could get a wiff of his hair again. It was a scent that reminded him of everything he missed on Mount Paozu. Next, he gave Gine a kiss on the cheek to let her know he was going to be around more often. Finally, he lingered over Bardock and froze there. He blinked his wide orbs, unsure of what the hell he was thinking.

"I swear if you do that to me, I'll rip your lips off."

"Eek!" Gohan pulled his face away immediately after turning bright red. The whiteness of Bardock's sclera were making his irises pop out, and the grandson could clearly see there was the slightest hint of joy inside them despite sounding so violent. "S-Sorry, Gramps. I really wasn't planning on it.."

He could see his grandfather's hand underneath the cover give Gine a quick squeeze on the waist before he completely removed himself from her. He smiled to himself when the scarred Saiyan was sitting him straight. Bardock's hair always looked like he had a bedhead, so he never got the devil horns Gohan did. "Where's my granddaughter? Already having second thoughts?"

Gohan shook his head as he took a seat next to Bardock's feet. He playfully pinched his nose as if they smelt, but quickly received a kick to a head that made him stop. "We actually made a date. It's the day before Christmas Eve. It's only a few months away, and since she doesn't have classes until Monday, Videl's having a girls' weekend with Erasa to buy a dress and everything we need."

Bardock's slight smile completely vanished before Gohan could even finish what he was saying. "Can't it be some other date? I'm not that big a fan of...Christmas."

"Oh, right! This is going to be your first one ever, huh?" Gohan laughed quietly at the look on his grandfather's face. "Sorry, Gramps. I know it's kinda early, but we have the money for it, you know? So, why not? I don't want to turn it into a five year engagement. Besides, it's the only time we have a break this year."

"You can't wait until next summer?"

Gohan shrugged at his grandfather's pleading suggestion. "Eh, we _could_. But I want it to be an all white wedding. You know, white snow, white dress, white tux..." he began wriggling his eyebrows, causing Bardock to back away slightly. "I'm even thinking about getting a pair of white specs. Cool, huh!?"

Bardock closed his eyes in slight annoyance, which was only caused from his giant confusion. This damn planet had so many customs and traditions that made no sense to him. A ring? Tuxes? Glasses!? Hell, when he chose Gine as a mate on Planet Vegeta, he just had to say the word and that was that. There was no confusion there; mates were mates for life and a ring didn't have to prove it.

But this was Earth, and he was no longer among those who shared the customs he once had. Even Tarble had his own way of doing things after living on that planet his wife was from.

Pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment, Bardock sighed loud enough to make Gine and Goten stir. "Yeah. _Cool_. All white, huh? I guess it makes sense with you two being so damn innocent."

Gohan blushed at the truthful statement and fiddled his thumbs nervously. He studied his cuticles while listening to the hypnotic sound of his family breathing. He wished he could be the one sleeping again, dreaming again. "I'm thinking about asking Piccolo to be my best man, what do you think?"

"..."

"Oh! The best man is someone who helps the groom - er, man getting married - take care of everything and stands right beside him at the alter. Do you think he'd do it?"

Bardock snorted, and earned a lazy smack in the back of the neck from Gine who angrily silenced him before immediately crashing. "Goddammit..." but his voice was a whisper. "I don't know, kid. I guess it doesn't hurt to ask."

Gohan had finally looked away from his finger nails. Laughter that was barely containable began spewing from him, causing Bardock to get angrier by the minute. "Oh... Oh, that's too much!"

"What!?" came the grandfather's harsh whisper. "You better stop cackling like a damn hyena!"

"I'm sorry," Gohan sniffed, and spoke while wiping a tear away from his eye. "It's just that if you're dying to be my best man, too, you could always fuse with Piccolo again!"

"Get the fuck out of here!"

After Gohan had dodged the pillow that was thrown at him, the two chased each other around the house until Chi-Chi kicked them outside. The Saiyans sat on the bench outside the house, while looking up at the stars that were shining brightly against a dark blue sky. A saddened smile had found its way to Gohan as he was being reminded just how much more beautiful the nights at Mount Paozu were compared to Satan City.

"Maybe Videl and I will move back here once school's over," Gohan placed his arms behind head for support as he leaned back. "You want to know something, Gramps? Mom told me that if I really think I can handle it, I could continue training while still going to school."

The news had been something Bardock was waiting on for weeks. He immediately turned his attention away from the sky and looked at Gohan with inquisitive eyes. "What kind of training are you looking for? Turtle School or Gravity Room?"

"Neither," Gohan winked, and pointed up the sky with his thumb. "I want to train with Dad. I've never been to King Kai's planet before... I think it could really offer me something."

Bardock released a harsh, short laugh before sliding a hand into his chest plates as if he were trying to dig something out of it. "So, you're gonna spend some quality time with Pops, eh? What's going to happen to Videl? You're just going to leave her then come back on your wedding day?"

Fuming, Gohan got to his feet promptly and stood before Bardock almost threateningly. "What kind of person do you take me for, Gramps!? It's not like I'm going to dedicate every minute of my day to training! I just want to be prepared, that's all. Everyone has been sending out really weird vibes lately...as if something terrible is going to happen. Even if I don't get in much training because of school, at least I'll be able to talk to my dad about it."

The grandfather was at a momentary loss for words. Here his grandson was, offering him what he had wanted the boy to do for the longest time instead of going to school. He was going to keep up with his training, still remaining strong for the Earth when Beerus would arrive. At the same time, he had a feeling Gohan wouldn't be able to keep up with all the obligations he was promising to. Bardock took a deep breath, reminding himself who he was talking about. "I'm trusting you, kid. I'll personally check on Videl every night to make sure you're there right beside her."

Gohan's tension immediately faded away, and he took on a more relaxed stance. "Thanks, Gramps. You won't have to worry about a thing."

"I've heard that before," Bardock grumbled, and finally pulled a piece of paper from out of his armor. "Here. I have a message for Kakarot."

"Wow..." Gohan blinked and took the slip of paper from his grandfather slowly. "You literally have a message."

Bardock got off the bench and placed a firm hand on his grandson's shoulder. "I really am trusting you here, kid. Find that balance your father is sorely lacking, alright?"

Once Gohan nodded, Bardock headed back into the house and left the young man alone. He tucked the note inside the pocket of his brown dress pants, and took a deep sigh before leaning his head back to look up at the sky.

 _King Kai, I know you can hear me. Please have my dad come get me. We need to have a talk._


	7. I Do

**A/N** : I don't know the overall age range of my readers, but there's a little moment at the end that may be a bit sensitive to some of you! Absolutely **NO lemon** , but it contains a bit of **sensuality/'adult' situation**. I didn't think it was that bad myself, but after I re-read it I kinda blushed. Feel free to skip it, but I understand if I get some not so happy reviewers since I'm treading on dangerous waters.

* * *

"Coach Bardock?"

The Saiyan finally looked away from the screen after earning a computer tan. The rapping on the door of his small office inside the boy's locker room was coming from a blonde-haired boy who wore his hair in a ponytail. Bardock, Dende help the man, could never quite get the names right. The students could easily ditch his class since he never took role call; always marking them as 'here' instead of absent.

Despite the opportunity and surprisingly enough, the vast majority of Orange Star High loved Coach Bardock's gym class. He was the only teacher in the entire school that swore and told raunchy jokes. Even if his workout routines were killer, his anecdotes and overall persona were the key to his popularity. Here, he was one bad dude for real.

Or so, that's what the kids were saying these days.

"Yes...?" He gestured his hand in a circular motion at the boy, waiting for him to give Bardock a name.

"Well, my full name is Marker, but you can call me Mark!" the blonde kid chuckled, earning an eye roll from the adult behind the desk. "I need you to sign something for me so I can go on a field trip next week."

"Can you give me a minute, kid?" Bardock scowled when his vision left the nervous boy to the computer screen once more. "I'm kinda in the middle of something here."

Mark raised an eyebrow when he noticed coach was squinting and inching closer to the screen as if he were struggling to read something. "You know," he began approaching with caution, and even went as far as to place a hand on Bardock's shoulder. "If you're having trouble seeing what it says, you can always enlarge it. That's what I do when the print is too small."

Bardock lifted his hands up so the boy could toy around with the keyboard until the screen became large. When he was finished, he smiled proudly at his coach. "See? Can you read it?"

"...why don't _you_ read it!?"

"Are you sure? I mean-"

"Just read it, kid!" Bardock snapped, and then slightly turned away so Mark couldn't see the blush on his face. "I, uh, forgot my... glasses."

Mark blinked twice. "Alright.. Well. It says, 'Dear Mr. Bardock, we would like you to join us in our yearly get together for the PTO-"

The rest of the boy's words were muted once the Saiyan gym teacher flipped the desk over in anger. Terrified at the sound of the computer crashing on the ground near his feet, Mark jumped backwards five feet and watched as Bardock continued to break things in his office. "HOW THE HELL DID THEY FIND ME!?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mark reached his hands up to grab the tall Bardock by his shoulders and shake him slightly. "No reason to flip, coach! I know my mom bitches about it 24/7, but the Parent-Teacher Organization isn't that bad at all!"

"...What?" Bardock froze mid stapler-breaking. "Parent-Teacher Organization...?"

"Y-Yeah?" Mark backed away some more, hoping the eccentric coach wouldn't try shooting him. "That's what PTO stands for. I mean, at least as far as that message goes... But seeing how you just broke it, I guess we can't reply..."

Bardock controlled his breathing, and slowly walked back over to his fallen desk to lift it up in one swift move. Mark watched with fascination at the brute strength of the man, shocked that he could pick such heavy things up so effortlessly. The Saiyan was fuming at his outburst, and trying hard to hide it from the student. How the hell was he suppose to know that? Hell, the only PTO on his mind was the Planet Trade Organization, and who knows if they were still active. Without Frieza, they weren't much of a threat, anyway.

"...Sorry, kid. Let me just put everything back and I'll sign your shit."

Mark watched with silent appreciation as Bardock signed the permission slip in two swift moves. The last coach that the school had was a great guy, but there was something about Coach B that made every other gym teacher of the past bite the dust. The boy's eyes wandered to a stack of envelopes sitting beside the shattered computer and smiled. "Hey, coach? Today's Friday, isn't it?" when he received a nod, he continued. "Aren't you happy that you get paid today!?"

Bardock looked up from the permission slip slowly and deadpanned. "Should I be?"

The young boy gained a crimson face and began fiddling with his fingers. "Well, uhm, I understand that teachers don't get paid much, but it's still something and I thought maybe... getting money would make your entire day? It sure would mine!"

"Take it, then."

Mark's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Sure enough, Coach Bardock was offering him the unopened envelope containing a fairly large paycheck. "N-No! No!" the kid nervously waved his hands in front of his face, while Bardock just looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "That's nice of you, coach, really, but I...I can't. It's not right. You probably depend on that for bills and-"

"Look," Bardock sighed and placed the paycheck down on the desk. "Due to certain circumstances, my family and myself are millionaires. I don't pay bills. I don't buy shit. The checks they've thrown at me before have been going towards a gift for my wife and I already bought it the other day. I'm done."

"B-But-"

The Saiyan pounded his fist on the wood, causing Mark to gulp at the way it made everything on top of it shake for a good five minutes. Not only that, but his chair and himself were going through some mini Earthquake. Bardock was looking over the trembling boy twice, and crossed his arms over his chest when their eyes met again. "Look. I know you could use this more than me. I don't have everyone's names down, but I'm observant. You wear the same pair of clothes every other day. So, take the money. But you owe me something in return."

The guilty faced boy struggled to look his coach in the eyes with tearing up. "Y-Yes. Anything. What is it?"

Bardock opened the drawer of his filing cabinet which had absolutely no files in it, and pulled out a single clipboard full of the worksheets the turtle hermit had given him to do every evening before he returned to Gine and Chi-Chi. As much as he loved her, his wife was completely clueless in the academic department while Chi-Chi refused to cheat for him. Not to mention, Goten would surely run his little mouth to Roshi.

Until he gets every problem right, Roshi won't teach him his style of martial arts or the perfection of the Kamehameha. For crying out loud, the boys were already out in the ocean doing it repeatedly while he was banned to the desk of shame.

"Just like you little shits here, I have homework to do. You do this for me, no questions asked, and I'll give you my paycheck."

"O-Okay, sir. Sure," Mark was a complete tomato at this point. "But...you're going to have to cash it in since your name is on it."

Bardock shrugged, causing the ripples of his hoodie to move with him. "No problem. Give these to me in the morning, and you'll get your money."

Marker was about to open his mouth to forever and dramatically thank Bardock for his generosity, when there was a sudden tapping coming from the small window outside. The blonde kid strained his neck to see a messy-haired child and a lavender-haired child knocking obnoxiously and whistling for Bardock's attention. "Uhm, sir? There are two small boys outside. I think they want to talk to you."

"Yup," the coach sighed. "They're my grandkids. Ugly little shits, aren't they?"

"...But the black haired kid looks just like you!"

"Shut up, Marker!" Bardock pushed himself away from the desk so he could stand up, and then headed over to the window where he proceeded to flip off his pesks looking in. Not the one to back down so quickly, Trunks returned it while Goten's laugh could be heard.

"Open up, Grandpa! We have a message for you!"

* * *

 _Kakarot_

 _When you're the only one left alive after the rest of us have perished, I hope you're fucking miserable._

 _\- Your Dear Father_

"What does it say, Dad?" Gohan questioned, trying hard to read the expression on his father's face but was unable to comprehend it. It looked like a mixture of shock and confusion, with those black brows of his knitted and all. "Uh...Dad?"

Goku snapped out of it by shaking his head, and then tucked the small piece of paper into his gi. The messy-haired hero laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, say, Gohan? Was your grandfather pretty ticked off when I left?"

Gohan tapped his chin, trying to remember the words that Bardock had told him. "Well, he was cussing more than usual... Anyway, I wanted to ask for a huge favor. Do you think after training here with you during the day you could take me home at night to see Videl? I don't want Gramps threatening me, too."

Goku gave his son a huge slap on the back and gave his trademark laugh. "Of course! But for now, how about we have a huge sparing match!?"

"No, no, no!" King Kai's voice came from inside his already half-destroyed house, and soon the blue Shin-jin was poking his head outside the window to glare at the father-son duo. "Goku, you are the worst student ever! Why don't you guys go terrorize someone else's world for a minute or two until I clean up the mess _you've_ made!?"

Gohan blushed, wanting to apologize on behalf of his father until said father began nudging his arm. "Psst, Gohan! What do you say we get out of here and go to the Sacred World of the Kais to train? He's only saying this because he wants me to clean up!"

"Oh, Dad, I dunno... I think you should help-"

"BYE, KING KAI!" Goku had two fingers pressed against his forehead with a flustered Gohan pressed against him. "I'll see you tomorrow or something!"

The irritated screaming of King Kai faded away as Goku and Gohan opened their eyes to find themselves in front of a shocked Kibito Kai and Elder Kai. The old man began yelling about Saiyan ingrates popping in and out of nowhere, while Goku asked Kibito Kai for some food. Having no choice really, the fused being gathered something up for the world's greatest hero.

"Being here brings back a lot of memories," Gohan smiled sadly and looked over the beautiful planet. The devastation that Buu had caused there had been completely fixed by now, and the land was as green as ever. While Goku continued to stuff his face, the son's eyes lit up when he noticed a familiar rock in the distance. "Hey, Kibito Kai?"

"Yes, Gohan?" the purple skinned being asked politely, happily leaving the pigging out Saiyan's side and joining up with the younger one. He noticed that Gohan was pointing at the stone where the Z Sword was once encased.

"Do you think you guys could get another sword? You know, for me to train with?" he chuckled while looking over his shoulder at Elder Kai, catching the old man mid-sleep. "One that doesn't have a Kai trapped inside it?"

Kibito Kai tugged at the color of his shirt, unsure of what to say. Of course, there were no way in hell it was going to happen. If they wanted another Z Sword, he'd have to come face to face with the dreaded God of Destruction. "Uh, well you see, Gohan... A man by the name of Beerus invented the Z Sword centuries ago, and now he's out of commission due to some much needed rest."

 _Thankfully._

"Well.. do you think there is any way you could ask that Beerus guy to wake up and make one again? I'll pay him!"

Elder Kai had awakened at the name of the god, and both him and Kibito Kai sweatdropped while staring at each other through their peripherals. The God who was fused with a witch chuckled nervously and gave Gohan a weak pat on the back. "I think you may have to wait on that one, kid."

 _Hopefully a long, long time..._

* * *

"What's the matter, dog!? Four hundred times Earth's gravity too much for you!?" Vegeta smirked as he dodged a red lazer beam coming from one of Bulma's numerous attack machines. Having felt too much pressure due to Roshi's relaxed way of training, Trunks and Goten had to stop at three hundred fifty.

Bardock wanted to curse loudly when the beam that Vegeta deflected singed his leg a little, but kept it inside. From the tiles of the Gravity Room, he glared up at Vegeta who was effortlessly avoiding all attacks the machines were throwing at him. He wasn't even a damn Super Saiyan. "Tell me, prince, do you ever transform in here?"

The scarred warrior rolled his eyes as Vegeta back flipped towards him, even giving him a quick bump on the noggin with the tip of his boots. Once he was on his feet, he crossed his arms over his chest. "The legend of the Saiyan race deserves to be worked out in much dire settings. Working on your base form before anything is the key to having the ultimate power. And before you open your mouth to spew some bullshit, your precious little Kakarot does the same thing."

Bardock's open mouth immediately closed, and was replaced with a look of a determined warrior. A machine that was trying to do a sneak attack behind him was quickly handled with a roundhouse kick, and the small fragments floating around the room. "How do you know Beerus, anyway?" another broken machine. "Trunks said you looked scared shitless last night."

"I was _not_ scared," the prince growled, and cocked his head to the side when a beam tried singing him. A quick and forceful ki blast annihilated the machine that attempted the dirty maneuver. His eyes dropped down to his boots and focused on a small black dirt stain resting on the tip of them. "You, not even I, can comprehend the power of a god. Especially... Beerus the Destroyer."

Bardock watched silently as Vegeta walked over to the control panel and turned off the attack machines with a single button. The gravity was still rising, but there were no more blasts to dodge or fight against. "You've personally met him before?"

A gloved fist slammed itself into the walls of the Gravity Room, denting it to the point that almost the outer hall could be seen. Even Bardock took a step back seeing Vegeta's shoulders begin to shake up and down.

"Are you...Are you crying?"

Since the monkey-tailed Saiyan knew it was coming, he jumped over a fiery ki blast. The beam continued to ricochet off the walls, ceiling, and floor until it disappeared on its own. Once the blast was out of the way, Bardock turned around to snap at Vegeta only to become horrified at the sight of the angered prince directly in front of him.

Without saying a word, Vegeta grabbed his shoudler. His nails dug into the skin so deeply that it cut the skin, and not too long after crimson liquid began trickling down. With his free hand, the flamed-hair Saiyan formed a fist and began straight punching his gut. Once Bardock doubled over in pain, the prince backed away and allowed him to nearly fall to the floor. The only sounds beside Bardock gurgling were Vegeta's footsteps hitting the tile as he walked over to the control panel.

"Fuck," he grunted after finishing his blood spitting. Once a few minutes of deep breathing did the trick, Bardock was able to stand up completely straight although spots of red still lingered on his mouth. If he knew the prince was just being his regular asshole self, the father of Goku would have fought back. Instead, he was just taking his frustrations out on him. There was a look of fear forming deep in his orbs, the reasoning Beerus had him so bothered that he wasn't willing to share. "You know, jackass, beating the shit out of each other is the kind of training I did with my crew. Really good for the heart."

Vegeta had already turned off the gravity control, but was frozen in front of the panel. There was something the low class had mentioned that caught his attention, something he had been bothering and was also thankful for a subject change.

"Was it Frieza's SuperNova that killed your elite, or did he get one of his henchmen to do it?"

Memories of that day were still so clear in the back of Bardock's mind. He remembered that idiotic joy he actually felt inside him when the doctor told him his crew went to Planet Meat, saying that Frieza had a special mission for him. His hands began to clench tightly that the tan color turned white. What a fucking idiot he was, for thinking all that mattered was getting noticed by the tyrant. By the time he got there, his crew had already been slaughtered. Worst of all, Tora, hanging on by an inch of his life, wishing he had been killed instantly but suffering...

"It was Dodoria," Bardock spoke quietly, but there was hatred laced all around the name of the pink alien.

"If it brings you any solace," Vegeta was speaking with his back turned to Bardock, not bothering to look him in the eyes when he told him. "I killed Dodoria with my own hands. You won't have to worry about him or that bastard Frieza anymore."

The prince didn't wait to hear the reply, and left Bardock alone to watch him walk away.

* * *

A little less than two months had passed. Thanksgiving had come and gone, and Bardock along with Tarble had discovered that the holiday seasons were definitely the biggest perks of Planet Earth. Now, it was December 23rd.

The morning of Son Gohan and Videl Satan's wedding.

"Chi-Chi," the girl was red in the face as her nearly there mother-in-law was lacing the back of her pure white dress. "Don't you think it's tight enough?"

"Sorry," Chi-Chi grunted and tried to loosen it up the best she could. "You're much thinner than I was when I got married. You don't know how happy it makes me that you decided to wear my old dress! I never had any daughters, so at least I get to pass it down to you."

Videl self-consciously ran her hands down her ribs until they eventually landed on her stomach. She rubbed it once while staring at her reflection in the full length mirror. Behind her and Chi-Chi were Gine, Bulma, and Erasa already wearing their dresses for the evening's event. Not being too strict on the details since the wedding came so early, Videl just told them to wear whatever color and style they wanted.

"Wouldn't it be funny if I have a daughter, and she ends up wearing this dress on her wedding day?"

Chi-Chi finished tying the white lace into a neat bow, and then placed her chin on top of Videl's shoulder while the two looked at the mirror. Wearing her robe, the poor mother was always the last one to get ready after taking care of everyone else. But she never cared. "If you have a boy, I'll love him with all of my heart. But a girl? I think I'd just die of happiness. Yeah. A beautiful little girl."

Videl took on a sad smile and moved the wisps of her pinned back hair out of her face. The only thing she had left to put on was the veil, but that would have to wait until they got to the place Bulma had set up that wouldn't allow them to be freezing cold in their dresses despite the snow. Knowing the beautiful genius, Videl figured it was going to be something special.

"Thanks for everything, Chi-Chi. My mom left me when I was little, and I always wondered in the back of my mind what this day would be like without her," the bride turned around and took Chi-Chi's hands in hers. There were tears beginning to form in her eyes, but she needed to keep them at bay for the sake of redoing her make-up for the nth time. "But having you here is better than anything I could have imagined."

Chi-Chi bit her plump lower lip and had to force herself to look away. The other night, her sons and husband teased her about breaking down over everything. She had promised herself over and over that she wasn't going to cry today, and this young lady telling her everything she wanted to hear wasn't going to make it happen! She gave Videl's hands a quick squeeze and let them go, turning her back to the bride. "You and your father will always have a family with us. I'm going to get ready now."

Videl opened her mouth to speak to her mother-in-law, but the woman had already scurried out of the room. She would have scratched her head in confusion, if her hair wouldn't fall out. "What's her deal? Did I say something wrong?"

"No," Gine smiled reassuringly, soon taking the spot where Chi-Chi stood so she could observe the bride. "The boys were being mean to her the other day about crying, and I think she took it a little too seriously. She's overjoyed about you having her be such a big part of today."

Relief washed over the young woman, and then she looked over a woman who couldn't possibly be a grandmother. Not following the white scheme, Gine was wearing a woven long-sleeved pale yellow dress with a surplice bodice. The bottom of it reached just under her knees, and she had been hesitant about wearing tights until Bulma reassured them all that the place was outdoors, yet heated for comfort against the winter weather.

"Gine, you look stunning! Yellow looks really great on you!"

The grandmother rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, shush. You're the main attraction here. Are you just about ready to-"

"EEK! GET OUT OF HERE, COACH!"

The bride and her minutes away from being grandmother whipped their heads around to see Bardock standing in the doorway with a ferocious Erasa blocking him from coming in.

"No! You can't see Videl until the wedding!"

"I'm not marrying her, dumbass! And this is _my_ room!"

Gine growled lowly and departed from the bride. Once she approached Erasa, she gave the girl a gentle nudge on the shoulder and took her place to look at her disgruntled mate. She didn't even give him time to defend himself before she grabbed him by the ear and began dragging him away from the women. Once they were outside, she stamped her feet through the fresh snow until they were far away enough from the house.

"What the heck is wrong with you, Bardock!? You called that sweet girl such a terrible name, and then you try to walk in on four women trying to get ready!? You're not even suppose to be here!"

While his mate kept rambling on about his stupidity, his eyes roamed her entirety. The dress she wore accentuated her every curve, and the contrast between her dark hair and the pale yellow color caused her face and eyes to stand out. She had always been something of extraordinary and undeniable beauty to him, but every now and then he just completely blew him away.

"I'm sorry."

"And then you-...What?" Gine blinked, taken aback from the apology she rarely got to hear. "You're _sorry_!?"

Bardock nodded, and cupped the face of the confused woman with his cold hands. She blinked in silence at the proximity of her mate, and watched as his orbs studied every detail of her features that he knew so well. There seemed to be so much that he wanted to know, that he wanted to say about the predicted future and always make sure she'd be protected.

But it just couldn't come out.

Out of everything at the moment, he mostly wanted to feel her lips on his.

There was a longing that all males, even the seemingly cold hearted of them all, had for a woman that was unbearable. The warmth of her mouth compared to his frigid one sent a current through him, while his hands dropped from her face and slid down to her hips. Once they parted, Gine was the only one left speechless.

"Tarble still needed time to find a suit, so I came to get him."

"Oh," Gine managed to breathe out with a still flustered face, and then pulled herself away by a fraction. It wasn't until she placed her hands on his Herculean chest that she noticed he was wearing the tuxedo he did for Gohan's graduation. "Well...at least you're ready. How are you going to get Tarble to the wedding?"

Her mate gave her a 'duh' expression. "...Flying?"

"Mm-mm," Gine shook her head and smiled teasingly. "Tarble and Gure don't know how to fly."

"Shit," he snapped his fingers and then eyed Bulma's large flying vehicle which was never put away in its capsule. "I guess he'll have to go with the women."

Gine frowned. "Why don't you come with us, too? You don't want to get all...even more messy-haired flying, do you?"

The father of Goku tried so hard to ignore the look she was giving him, but it was exceptionally difficult. It seemed that women, whether from Planet Vegeta or Planet Earth, had the undeniable power of manipulation. Bardock dropped his head in defeat, having realized this fact ever since he met Chi-Chi. "Yeah, yeah. Get the hell out of here."

"You scumbag," she winked, and gave him a peck on his cheek that left a red imprint of her lips. Once they heard the front door of the house open, Gine left her husband to wait on Tarble and Gure.

Bardock tucked his hands into the pocket of his coat as he watched Videl come out of the house and enter the car quickly, as if Gohan were around spying on her somewhere. He only caught a glimpse of her, but what he saw, he could only describe as an angel. No snow was falling from the sky, but a fresh and bright white blanket had laid itself out on every city this side of the hemisphere. It was perfect for such an innocent couple coming together within hours. His eyes went back to the backside of Gine as she assisted the other women into the car, since their heels mixed with the snow were making it extremely hard to be functional.

"Are you ready, Son Bardock?"

The scarred male was so entranced by the sight of his woman getting into the vehicle that he hadn't sensed Tarble and Gure coming up behind him. Shaking his head to snap out of his reverie, he turned around and smirked widely. At least Gure was wearing a decent purple scarf to match the purple design of her body. The younger brother of Vegeta was wearing a bright orange tuxedo similar to that of Goku's gi, and he had a matching top hat to go along with it.

"Did you get that half-off from an after Halloween sale?"

"Yes!" Tarble beamed. "Isn't it great!?"

* * *

"Relax, kid. You're getting married, not saving the world," Piccolo stated matter-of-factly, and looked around at the faces in the seats. That Bulma woman was so strange. She managed to set up an entire alter in the middle of a snowy field, yet all the objects radiated heat that melted the snow where the wedding was taking place and kept everyone warm. Not that the Namek needed it, but it was something else.

"I think saving the world is much easier..."

Goku, dressed in the same black tuxedo he wore at his son's graduation, placed a firm hand on his shoulder and laughed. "Weddings are so weird, but the cake is so good! You're going to love it, Gohan! And you're looking sharp in that outfit."

Blushing at the compliment, Gohan gave his father a quick and tight embrace. "I'm really happy you've been home this past week, Dad. It's been really fun hanging out without any training or fighting involved. I think you've made Mom really happy, too."

The hero winked, knowing how right he was. Although every inch of him wanted to head back to King Kai's or the Kibito Kai's world, he found there were quite a few benefits staying at home. Some that he hoped Gohan would find out after tonight.

Goku cleared his throat when he noticed Bardock was walking towards them, with Tarble and the girls minus the bride and Erasa behind him. Chi-Chi craned her neck above Bardock to make sure Goku really was actually there, and sighed in relief when he waved to her. They all took their seats in the front, while Bardock joined the boys in the front.

"Do you think this is overdoing it with three best men and one bridesmaid?" Gohan questioned, noticing the army behind him of Piccolo and the Saiyans. They all shrugged, not really caring about this strange tradition. "Uh, Gramps? How does Videl look?"

Bardock smirked. "You're going to be pleased, I'll tell you that."

The official who had married off Goku and Chi-Chi all those years ago bowed before the new groom, and took his place behind his podium at the alter.

Pretty soon, the entire seats were taken up by familiar faces and some not so familiar. Those were the members on Videl's side, friends that had been in her life long before Gohan and were suitable enough to come by invitation. All the Z Fighters and their families were there, Krillin all the way to Tien Shinhan. Every single face smiling, every single person wishing the best for their favorite young couple.

The music had begun, and in came the maid of honor. Erasa, who couldn't go a day without wearing green, was quite the neon sight as she frolicked down the aisle in her tight ensemble. Bardock rolled his eyes, never figuring out why Videl could be friends with someone lacking a brain. Being the only bridesmaid there, the next two to enter were Trunks and Goten.

Chi-Chi immediately ordered the hired photographer to start taking snaps of the sharply dressed boys as they each carried a pillow with a ring on it. Trunks looked absolutely embarrassed, trying to block the side of his face the photographer was trying to snap with one hand while balancing Videl's gold band on the other. Goten, however, was beaming proudly and admiring the awesome way his brother looked in white.

Little blonde Marron came in next, giving 18 and Krillin never ending compliments on having such a beautiful girl. The child happily tossed pink and white flowers all the way to end of the walkway, where she took a seat with her parents. Gohan stiffened up when the music began to change, and the guests got to their feet. Emerging from the blackened curtain came an angel.

That's the best way he could describe what he saw.

Videl, even the name being heavenly, had her entire face completely visible. She opted with a tiara instead of a veil after Bardock told her her head too big for one. But it only made her look like a princess. His eyes had began to sting just as his heart rate sky rocketed. The white sleeveless dress, accompanied with white gloves that was once his mother's, just made him want to run out and hold her, never letting go.

"She sure is beautiful, huh?" Goku whispered, and then silenced himself when he noticed Gohan was on the verge of tears.

Locked in arms with his angel, was Hercule Satan. The champ was already bawling by the time they got to the end of the aisle. Videl whispered something in his ear, causing the father to cry more until she kissed him on the cheek. The afro-haired man looked up at Gohan briefly through blurred eyes.

"I'm giving my baby to you, kid. Take good care of her."

Chi-Chi scooted over to make room for Hercule, and the two cried silently together as Gohan struggled to hold it in. With trembling legs, the bride took her place before her groom. While the official began speaking, her heart's thumping completely tuned him out. Gohan seemed to be frozen in time, trapped in her ocean blues.

"Gohan and Videl will now share their vows with one another."

Gohan took a deep breath as he held onto Videl's hands tightly. He could already hear his mother sobbing in the background, making note to tease her late for it. The truest, happiest smile that could have ever graced him was shining brightly amidst a dark winter's evening. Looking into the irises that had already professed their love for him, the young man knew this is where he was meant to be.

"You have been my best friend, mentor, and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible. You have made me a better person, as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live life. Everything I do, I do it for you. I am truly blessed to be part of your life, which as of today becomes our life."

Videl shook a little in her spot to rid the nerves that were going wild. She couldn't fight it anymore, and judging by the wailing of Gine, she couldn't either. The tears began to roll down softly as she cleared her throat to begin.

"The feeling hit me the moment we made eye contact in class. It was so immediate and powerful, far deeper and inexplicably beyond any calculation of time and place. You don't describe a feeling like that. You also can't replicate it or force it. You just let it flow in and around you. You go where it takes you. And you have completely stolen me. I want to be wherever you are. My home is you."

Gohan bit his bottom lip, and began tapping his foot to stop any water that wanted to leave his eyes. Piccolo gave him a quick tap on the shoulder to stop him from causing an earthquake, and the groom listened.

"Do you, Son Gohan, take Videl Satan to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Two simple words that meant so much were first heard from the groom. "I do."

"And do you, Videl Satan, take Son Gohan to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

The bride. "I do."

"You are now husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

The two stuck their tongues out at each other teasingly, and rolled their eyes when they heard Trunks and Goten making gagging noises. Their little interruption ended as soon as Vegeta and Bardock backhanded them. Once the commotion had ended, Videl's tears had dried away as she wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. Gohan stared into the eyes of his beautiful wife one more time, reminding himself how lucky he was, and closed the gap between them with a kiss that brought their love together at last.

When the cheers ceased and the music had begun, Videl and Gohan danced like awkward middle schoolers in the middle of the stage Bulma had set up. Becoming annoyed, Chi-Chi snatched Goku up from the table by his arm and began dragging him away. "Come on, Goku! Let's show them how this is done!"

"How humiliating," Vegeta scoffed, and his eye twitched as Goku began snapping his fingers and grooving to the beat while Chi-Chi did her own moves. A crowd had gather around them and were cheering them on. Over the people, Goku's hand shot up and began motioning for the prince to join. Flustered, Vegeta gave Bardock a shove.

"I think he's calling your name, dog!"

Bardock looked at the group on the dance floor and his lips twisted up in disgust. Instead of joining them, he took his wife by the hand and brought her to the grass near the heated cabana. To her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her waist and began moving around in circles slowly, obviously not matching the beat of the music.

"I didn't know you that you could dance?"

"I don't," Bardock rested his chin on top of Gine's head, while maintaining his grip on her hips as they swayed gently. "I'm just mimicking what everyone else is doing."

While the two danced on the icy grass, the photographer asked for Piccolo, Goku, and Goten to take a picture with the newlyweds. He gave Videl pink flowers to hold onto, while Goku wrapped his arm around his son. Piccolo stood in the back, trying to hide his regular turban look compared to the tuxedos and dresses. Having no where else to fit, Goten was ordered to float in the sky.

"Hold on," Piccolo grumbled, and seemed to be embarrassed by whatever was bothering him. "I think I've got something in my eye."

Gohan could tell his dear Namek was struggling, and momentarily dropped his smile to look over his shoulder at the tall one in the back. "Have you tried blinking it out?"

While Piccolo did just that, Gohan turned around and gave the photographer a thumbs up before regaining his original pose. The professional just shrugged. "One, two, three!" at the sound of the click, Piccolo had just barely opened his eyes after whatever was stuck inside them came out. "Excellent, folks! That's going to a keeper, for sure!"

"EXCUUUUUSE MEEEE!" Krillin blurted out while 18 slapped herself in the face. "May I have your guy's attention!? I've got somethin' tuh say on behalf on my buddy Gohan and his beeeeeeeeeautiful bride!"

Videl mouthed 'Oh dear God' to Gohan as the two left the photographer to take a seat and listen to the drunken police officer in training confess his gratitude and brotherly love for the groom. Bardock and Gine ignored it, continuing their sweet movement together until the female shot her head up to the sky and became frozen in place.

"Gine?"

Bardock slowly looked up to the sky to see what she was focusing on. His pupils flashed red and began to pulsate when he realized there had been another reason why he didn't want to have the wedding on this night; the night of a full moon.

"AHHHHHH!"

Tarble was the first to transform. The brother of Vegeta turned Oozaru had completed obliterated the table he was at and all the gifts that surrounded it just during the transition. The Tarble ape frowned, ashamed of what had happened while certain guests that had never witnessed this before were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

"Oh no!" Chi-Chi groaned, and began waving frantically at the Great Ape couple not too far from the cake. "BARDOCK, YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR FOOT AWAY- EEEEEEEEEEK!"

She was too late. The scarred monkey had backed into it; the precious white frosted all over his furry foot and the cake completely smashed to pieces.

"YOU BIG BABOON! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Chi-Chi shrieked, and had already removed her heels from her feet to beat Bardock with. She began chasing him around the field while the oldest and only golden Oozaru ran, destroying trees and shaking the tables wildly with each step he took. Yamcha's wine glass spilled all over his rented tuxedo, prompting him to join Chi-Chi on the chase.

"THAT'S COMING OUT OF YOUR PAYCHECK, BARDOCK!"

The female of the three giant apes of the wedding was the first to bring him down. Gohan and Videl watched as one by one, their guests of family and friends all wanted to join in on the beat-down. They could hear Vegeta's maniacal laugh, knowing he was having way too much fun with this. Hercule had declared Bardock's stomach as a wrestling ring, and not too long a free-for-all broke out.

"Should we... help him?" Videl questioned, not taking her eyes off the fight while tapping her fingers against a glass of wine that hadn't been broken.

"Mmmm," Gohan clicked his tongue and then slowly turned his head to face his new bride. His previously pensive face had turned into that of complete merriment seeing that beautiful face he was always going to wake up to for the rest of his life. "Nah. He'll be alright."

Videl finally smiled as well, and raised her glass up. "To us?"

The husband blushed, and looked to the left of him to surprisingly see a glass half full. He clanked it against Videl's. "And to a lifetime of living with these nut cases."

* * *

"I think Buu is a little bigger than Santa Claus," Goku whispered into Bardock's ear, causing his father to chuckle as quietly as he could without the Majin noticing. The pink being could easily snap at any given moment when offended. "What do you think?"

"Shut the hell up, Kakarot!" Bardock smacked his son's shoulder, but the two stifled more laughter when they looked over to see Buu was dressed in a Santa costume to make Gine and Goten happy. "Why the fuck did Satan do that to him? I actually feel bad. He looks ridiculous!"

Hearing the conversations the Saiyans were having, a tipsy Hercule growled and poked Bardock's shoulder harshly. "HEY! If Buu looks so ridiculous, tell me your WIFE is sitting on his lap!"

"What!?" Bardock's eyes narrowed in as his Gine, wearing a hideous green sweater with a giant gingerbread man in the center, took a seat on Santa Claus after Goten had finished making his wish. "...What!?"

"Relax!" Goku howled, and pounded his unexpected father on the back. His face dropped when he saw Bardock descend downwards onto the tiles of the Son's family living room, causing the Christmas playlist to halt as two annoyed wife watched a fight break out.

"Somethings just never change," Chi-Chi clicked her tongue and sighed, yet a smile remained. When she turned around to get a glass of water from the kitchen, she bumped into her oldest son who caught her before she fell down like Bardock did.

"My goodness! You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry," Gohan chuckled and placed her back to the position she was in. The boy hurriedly wiped away any remnants of apple pie from the corner of his lips before Chi-Chi could figure out that he ate the entire thing. "Uhhhh, so where's Tarble and Gure? Don't you think you should invite them over?"

Her son wasn't as slick as he thought. The mother caught sight of the crumbs before they disappeared, but ultimately decided not to get on his case. It was Christmas Eve, after all! "They went to celebrate at Capsule Corps with their own family. It would have been nice having them here, though, you'd be surprised how well Tarble could cook!"

"ATTENTION PLEASE! ATTENTION PLEASE!" Goten raised his hands up in the air seriously, and tried to put on his best adult voice. The calling of the child brought the son and mother inside the kitchen back into the living room to smile at the sight. "It is now midnight! The time has come to open presents!"

Goku and Bardock had to end up being separated after one too many bloodstains had found their way to the carpet. With all the chairs set up previously, Ox sat between the two to block their view of each other while the wives sat on either side of their husbands. Goten winked at his grandmother as he handed her the first gift: a bright red box with air holes poked on the lid labeled 'Bardock'.

The grandfather couldn't help but be suspicious as he saw it thump around. "What the hell is in there? A child?"

Gine rolled her eyes, and handed her husband the box. She smiled after he reluctantly placed it on his lap. "Open it up and see for yourself."

"A...cat?"

The Calico cat tilted her head as she looked up at her new owner. Bardock had absolutely no words or emotion. The animal and the Saiyan just exchanged blank stares with each other.

"We wanted to get you a dog but by the time we got there they'd already been given homes," Goten began to explain, inching closer to his grandfather with his eyes widening with each word. "This cat was the last animal left and she was so sad and then we got sad so we took her and...and...don't you love her!?"

When Bardock remained speechless, Gine placed her hand on his knee firmly and cleared her throat. "I think she kinda looks like you."

"Yeah!" Goku mused, not being the asshole his father thought he was trying to be. The messy-haired hero placed his hand right next to the cat's head, and shortly after it began caressing him. "I can see it! It's those eyes. She's got those black, lifeless, dark-"

"That's enough, son."

Bardock awkwardly placed the boxed cat on the floor and turned to face his wife seated next to him. "I, uh, I have something for you, too. I bought it with my own money."

Numerous whistles broke out as Gine blushed. "Y-You did?"

"It sure as hell ain't a cat," Bardock forced a grin on his face when he said the word, but surprisingly enough nobody caught on. Gine watched with curiosity as her mate got to his feet and began to dig inside the pocket of his jacket. His face turned red when he realized all eyes were on him now. The poor guy turned his face away from Gine as he shoved the small box in her direction. "...But I thought you'd like it."

Ooh's and aah's were heard as Gine flipped the lid upwards. Resting on a fine piece of white cloth was a delicate, beautiful ring. There were three flowers going up in a diagonal that were made of real ruby, and embedded around the silver band were small diamonds. Her hands were shaking, but she pulled the jewelry out and slid it down her finger.

It was a perfect fit.

"How did you... know my size?" she looked at her husband in complete awe, never having received anything like this before her entire life.

The scarred warrior became flustered, knowing he'd get hell from his son if he said he measured her fingers in her sleep. Forcing an awkward smile on his face, one that could frightened small children if the only small child there wasn't use to it, he shrugged innocently. "Just luck, I guess."

"Ohh Bardooooock," Chi-Chi sang, and winked when the already crimson Saiyan noticed she was holding a strange green leaf above their heads. "You two _have_ to kiss under the mistletoe. It's tradition."

"Yeah!" Gohan joined in on the teasing while his father laughed in the background. "If you don't, you'll be cursed for the rest of your life until next Christmas!"

It wasn't that kissing Gine was a bad thing, in fact it was the best activity next to fighting that Bardock could think of. It's just that the ugly, gawking faces of his horrendous family were surrounding him. Still, a curse was something the scarred Saiyan would do without after living with one not too long away. He gave his wife a 'fuck it' shrug, and caressed one side of her face with his hand to hide their lips from the world. Once the sound of a smooch was heard, everyone except Piccolo cheered.

Once the big gifts were out of the way, the family began tearing into the presents like there was no tomorrow. Hercule nearly squeezed the life out of Gohan when he saw all the new training equipment he had bought him, and nearly punched the life out of him when the red-faced husband opened lingerie sent from Roshi for Videl to wear. Piccolo hid his emotions when the box he opened contained a yellow sweater Chi-Chi knitted him, a new and expensive canteen from Goten, an album of wedding photos with his eyes closed from the newlyweds, and an IOU from Bardock and Goku. Goten ran around the house shooting Gohan harmlessly with his new pellet gun that Chi-Chi begged Bardock not to get him. Even Buu was having some merriment as he swallowed box after box of the most delicious chocolate Videl could find.

Most of all, Chi-Chi was the happiest. Despite receiving numerous gifts from her loved ones, she didn't ask for anything this year except for one thing that couldn't be bought. She had her family. Her entire family. Her father, father-in-law, mother-in-law, her sons, the addition of the Satans and Buu, Piccolo, and most of all, Goku. They were together, they were joyous, they were complete.

Using the camera with internal processing and timer that Bulma had given her, Chi-Chi had the group line up for a picture. The Polaroid immediately developed the photograph that was taken, and Chi-Chi shook it for a second before looking at what truly was the greatest Christmas photo the Son family had ever taken. Goku came up from behind her and draped his arm over her shoulders, while the wife leaned into his chest.

In the photo, they could see that Bardock's new pet had found her new home snuggled inside his mass of messy hair. Piccolo's eyes were closed once again as he stood beside Ox, but a peculiar smile was on his face as if were somewhat happy about being with them. Gohan and Videl stood in front of the towering Namek and human grandfather, and were holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it. Gine was holding Goten, and it was clear that the child had inherited his grandmother's grin. Buu and Hercule were throwing up peace signs, and directly next to them was the couple who had been going strong through it all for nearly twenty years now.

"Don't you love this, Goku?"

The hero looked around at all the faces inside the home that had been so for as long as he could remember. Gohan, a baby once so small and seemingly delicate, was now a man. His other son had gone through the beginning of his childhood without a father by his side, and was only growing older by the minute. Chi-Chi, albeit beautiful, was aging. Was it true, what Bardock had written in that note, about outliving all of them and ending up with nothing or nobody left in this world?

"Goku?"

Chi-Chi's husband tightened his grip on her as he flexed his arm, and pressed his nose against her glossy hair. "I do, hon. I really do."

* * *

"Did you find a name for it, yet?"

Bardock's long winded sigh came through the other end as Gohan tried his best to relax in his chair. Truth be told, he was terrified at the moment. The only thing he could think of doing was calling his old house and be happy with whoever answered. "Yeah. I named her Lucy."

"Lucy? Aw! That's adorable-"

"Short for Lucifer."

"Oh..." Gohan blinked, and looked over his shoulder nervously to make sure Videl hadn't come out of the bathroom yet. He knew he was in for something when he came home after buying her some roses to find the entire room lit by candles. Every time he watched a movie at home when the setting looked like this, his mother would cover his eyes.

He still heard everything.

He still knew.

"I thought with the new addition of Satans in the family, it was appropriate."

Bardock's remarks brought his attention back to the current conversation. Gohan ran a finger through his jet black hair, trying to ignore the fact that the part he was never allowed to watch in the movies was going to happen within minutes. "Huh.. Oh, oh yeah! I get it. Ha.. That's funny... Real funny.."

"Aren't you suppose to be spending time with your new wife, kid? Why the fuck are you talking to me?"

As his luck goes, Gohan's grandfather hung up before he could tell him how nervous he truly was. Now, with the bathroom door beginning to turn, his heart rate had increased dramatically.

"Oh, Gohan?" came the siren song behind him. "I'm ready."

The young man gulped loud enough that it could be heard. "Here comes nothing," he whispered to himself, and then began swiveling around in his rolling chair. The poor kid's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets when he saw what she was wearing. Gone were the baggy clothes she'd always train in, and the modest dresses that screamed her name. In front of him was a vixen in a single red corset.

His eyes scanned her over for a moment, his face turning the same color as her lingerie. This was Videl in a whole 'nother light. Her chest was just...out there.

And that wasn't all.

"VIDEL!" he covered his eyes, but peaked at her shyly through his fingers every now and then. "You're not wearing any underwear!"

The wife frantically covered her hoo-ha with a nearby pillow, truly believing she was going to make her sweating husband faint. "W-Well, yeah!" she tried to hurriedly explain herself. "Erasa told me there's no point since in wearing it since it's suppose to come off anyway!"

Gohan's chest began heaving, like he was close to hyperventilation. Oh, yeah, she had her girlfriends to talk to about this moment. All he had was what he learned in health class. Heaven forbid he ask any of the loons in his life for advice. He was on his own, with a woman who probably had much higher expectations than he could give. "I...I think I'm going to pass out..."

Videl threw herself onto the bed and began rubbing the empty side in a circle. "N-No, Gohan! Don't do that! It's okay... Come here. Sit with me."

Truth be told, Gohan was just as clothes-less as Videl was - except he was still wearing his underwear. His favorite pair of underwear, at that. The boy slightly groaned, and wiped his sweaty palms on his knees before getting out of his chair. Trying to hide what was happening to his body, he awkwardly positioned himself on their mattress until they were staring at each other face to face.

Trying to think of moments she had seen in chick flicks, Videl reached over and removed Gohan's glasses. The boy blinked his eyes in curiosity as she put them on her face. "So... how do I look? ...Sexy?"

He scratched the back of his neck while chuckling nervously at the blurry figure. "Uhm... I couldn't tell ya. I can't see."

Videl threw her hands up in the air after removing the glasses from her face. In frustration, she tossed them at her husband's chest and climbed off the bed. Afraid that he had done something wrong, Gohan immediately put his spectacles back on his face and adjusted them.

"V-Videl? What's wrong? Did I hurt your feelings?"

"No, how could you?" she stuck her nose up in the air, knowing full well what she was doing. The only time Gohan didn't act like a complete goober was when they fought, or trained. "You're one of the _weakest_ fighters there is. I bet I could knock you out in an instant.

Being with the girl for quite a long time now, he was beginning to figure her out. She was trying to make things less awkward for him. He wriggled his eyebrows, causing the glasses to move along with them. "Does Miss Satan want to fight the Great Saiyaman!?"

Videl's shoulders began to move up and down as she laughed mockingly, and then she pointed a finger to her husband on the matress. "What kind of Saiyaman wears teddy bear underwear!?"

"Alright, that's it! Put 'em up!"

The newlyweds were smirking at each other as Gohan began to jog in place like a professional boxer. They squared up, and the male began pacing around her in a circle. When he ended up in front of her, Videl balled up her fist and struck him square in the chest. The electricity of ki that Gohan had helped her find raced down her arm, causing thrills on both ends.

The fight continued down the hall into the living room. The sweat was pouring off the female, and her growing hair was beginning to stick to the back of her neck from the dampness. Videl drew her hand back, and the sound of her fist hitting his naked chest could be heard throughout the room.

Not wanting to embarrass her, Gohan fell backwards onto the floor. Prone on his back, he stared up at his treasure. She stared back, with her chest heaving underneath the Christmas themed corset. Like a predator, she crouched down on the floor and began crawling towards the frozen man until she was seated on his lap, with her small hands on his shoulders.

One hand began to roam the area of his exposed chest until she found the faint beating of his heart. The woman in her beckoned for him to find her, to take control and be the man that was inside of him. Yet, at the same time, her nineteen year old self was frightened to the very core. He had already touched her in places deep within her heart, and with the dim lights of the living room, imagination could run wild in the dark.

How the hell was she suppose to know this dork was going to render her helpless? How the hell was she suppose to know a boy who wears teddy bear underwear could leave her breathless? It just didn't make sense. Videl was the very same girl who almost got beaten to death at the World Martial Arts Tournament, yet was never afraid. The fight between raw desire and fear were now increasing their warfare as she began to see that Gohan was more than what he seemed.

Now studying the enlightened orbs of the man trapped beneath her, tears had begun brimming in the corner of her eyes. The man beneath her had the strength to kill her in a single blow. Even at the age of eleven, he had a well-developed form so unnatural. The man beneath her wasn't human. He had the blood of a deadly warrior race running through his veins. The man beneath her could snap into a violent rage when pushed too far. Still, for a person that could be the military's secret weapon, his heart was completely hers. Her heart was completely his. That was just something she couldn't fight, or back down from.

He loved her more than she could comprehend.

Perhaps that's what was causing the undeniable tension to rise.

She would only surrender to him.

Despite the A/C being off and the wild winter storm happening outdoors, heat was radiating throughout the room from the contact of their bodies. The newlywed husband was staring up at his wife, whose thighs were pressed firmly against his hips. It was expected for a male not yet twenty years old to focus on the body of a female, but Gohan's attention was transfixed on something else.

It was those eyes of hers. Those cerulean pearls that he could never get out of his mind. The irises that reflected her love for him. Seeing them glossed over with tears sent a jolt through his body, and it was clear to the young Saiyan hybrid that she was the one he would die for. He would be her shield, her defender and guardian against anything that dare threatened something so special.

She was his.

He was hers.

"Can you protect me, Gohan?"

Her body was still hot as he rolled her over, and within a single breath she was cradled in his arms. They were finding themselves heading back towards the bedroom from which they started in, and her slender arms were wrapped around his neck. He pressed his lips against hers in a gentle closed mouth kiss, before pulling back ever so slightly.

"I can and I will protect you, Videl. Always."

She swallowed his words with a kiss while he kicked the door closed behind them.

The smell of Christmas pines became the aroma of the bedroom they shared as the wax dripped down the burning candle slowly. The delicate finger tips of the young bride lingered against the bronzed shoulders of her husband until they lazily slid off when she fell into a deep slumber. A single flame remained flickering throughout the rest of the night, illuminating the faces of the couple who would find themselves still holding onto each other in the morning.


	8. A Bond That Can't Be Broken

For the life of him, Gohan could never figure out what those little red dots on the calendar were each month. The night of New Year's Eve, Videl took down the old marked up one and began marking certain days with her crimson pen in the new one before hanging it up. A week had passed by since January's first dot. The wife just kinda shrugged it off. Then, February rolled around and for some reason he couldn't explain, his young wife was beginning to stress.

Each time he would ask her about it, she'd change the subject or act even more awkwardly than him.

"Uh...honey?" the male would question, poking his head inside their bedroom to see her just staring at a random spot on the floor. "Are your new classes going right? If you're stressed out, you're not alone. I've got this one calculus teacher who-"

"Gohan?"

Her eyes were troubled with a secret she was unsure of, and she self-consciously rubbed her stomach with a single hand. Her husband waited patiently with that charming smile of his, unsuspecting of anything going through her mind. Videl gave him a half-smile, noticing that despite the craziness of struggling three different sides of him, he still kept his spirits up high. He didn't deserve to be stressed about something that may not even be true.

Realizing that her hand was still on her stomach, she blushed and removed it slowly. "I'm, uh... kinda hungry."

Gohan's eyes lit up despite his wife's unconvincing smile. She had become such a master with that Mona Lisa of hers that the poor man was easily tricked into thinking she was fine. "Sure, honey! What would you like? Tempura!? Sushi!? What about some Ramen!? Or-"

"Eggs," she nodded politely with her hands folded on her lap, and spoke in a voice so meek. "Just eggs."

The man bowed to her like he was royal servant, and at last a genuine grin had snuck up on the confused girl. She was looking at her chipped finger nails while listening to the sound of him banging and clanking around in the kitchen to find his favorite frying pan. It was funny how he was beginning to take on the roles that traditional wives should have: cooking, cleaning, picking up after her. It seemed to be a side effect growing up with Chi-Chi as a mother.

Videl on the other hand was so used to relying on her maids or her cook, that she never bothered to do any of the 'chores'. The nights that Gohan was just too exhausted from classes or training with his dad, she would sneakily order take-out and claim that cooked it herself. Truth be told, take-out night happened one too many times that Gohan had begun to grow suspicious.

Still, he never said anything to hurt her. Through married life, she was getting more of an idea of who Gohan truly was. He was so dedicated to everything in his life, and never wasted his time on something that meant nothing to him in the long run. He was taking his training to the heart, expanding his mind every day with his studies, and being an outstanding husband as far as the standard Saiyan goes.

Videl fell backwards onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling with red eyes. Does this mean, if they were expecting, that this baby would ruin his life? With all the chaos he was trying to balance right now, wouldn't their little bundle of joy be a little bundle of... shit? The girl knitted her brows together and shook her head.

No. If anything, he would get rid of all those things just to take care of their bundle of shit.

He would be ecstatic. Loving. A wonderful father that would make every other one look bad.

"SCRAMBLED!?"

"Yes!"

The whistling of her husband continued as she brought herself back upright. There had been a very important something the couple didn't take into consideration the first night they slept together. Or the second. Or the tenth.

Videl turned green in the face as she glanced at her phone on Gohan's desk. For weeks, even coming close to two months, she had been lying to herself. She claimed she had a stomach flu when leaving class to throw up in the bathroom, and dismissed her cramps as a result of eating too much take-out. If this was all in her head and pregnancy wasn't possible at the moment, there were clear signs that something else was terribly wrong.

With trembling legs, she got out of bed and picked up the warm phone. Once it began to ring, she glanced over her shoulder to the revealed hall to make sure Gohan wasn't there. Then with a voice as quiet as she could manage against the singing of her cooking husband, she whispered, "Hello, Doctor Thompson? Yeah. It's me, Videl."

* * *

"I am a woman, I am a woman," Videl gave herself a pep talk as she flew to Mount Paozu. She would have preferred the physical version of flight, but settling with her jet copter was necessary. Lately, she had begun to grow very fatigued. "You are a strong, independent woman. You're a married woman, for crying out loud! If you're pregnant, nobody can judge you!"

For a moment, she had thought she found relief. But when she caught a glimpse of herself in the review mirror, her face dropped.

"You're a very young woman... Who still needs to graduate school... and still giggles when she sees her husband naked..."

Her palms began to grow sweaty on the steering wheel, but she clung to it for dear life. No, she couldn't worry herself like this. What she needed to do at the moment, was find either Chi-Chi or Gine and get their assistance. She had already made an appointment with a doctor in West City, one far away so that nobody from her town could see her. She was even wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a trench coat for safe measure. All she was missing were the watches and drugs.

"I look so ridiculous," she mumbled at the review mirror, occasionally making sure there weren't any planes or hybrid men flying behind her. "I can't believe I'm this worked up over something that might not even be true!"

The young woman continued to take deep breaths to calm down while beginning his descent to a familiar home on Mount Paozu. Seeing that Goku's white car was gone, her heart dropped.

 _It's okay, it's okay... Maybe he came back from training to run errands for Chi-Chi._

Rubbing her hands together nervously, she turned off the engine and pressed a button to open the door. The cold mid-winter air touched her nose immediately, causing her to sneeze. She had almost forgotten how cold the mountains got this time of year, and due to her new sensitivity, it felt like death.

"Great, just great!" she huffed, and turned around to face her vehicle once her booted feet touched the cold ground. After putting her jet copter into its rightful capsule, Videl tucked the Briefs' legacy into one of her many pockets and began walking to the front porch. She was beginning to feel much better about the situation now, taking each stride with confidence. Her head up high, focused on what was ahead and not beneath her...

"MEEEEOWWWWWW!"

"Sorry, Lucy!" she whispered loudly, and moved aside so the feisty kitty could continue on her way. Videl shuddered at the way she stalked through the lush, icy green patch. With the exception of Bee, she had never been a fan of pets. Taking care of something that fragile...

Her face turned red as glanced down at her stomach.

Maybe a pet was a good starter kit.

"Here goes nothing..." Videl balled her small hand into a fist and began rapping on the wooden door. Her confidence was now beginning to fade, not being able to hear any noise coming from within the small home.

"Please..." she pressed her forehead against the door and sniffled as her knocks began weaker and weaker. "Chi-Chi I need you..."

The door suddenly opened wide and the girl found herself tumbling inside. Her screams lasted as long as it took her to fall into something firm, though it didn't feel like the floor. When her eyes fluttered back open, she was staring into the chest plate of Bardock's armor.

"Whatever you're selling, we don't want any."

Remembering her outfit choice, Videl became flustered and flung herself out of Bardock's arms. The temperamental male was looking exactly as she had last seen him at the New Year's Eve party, except now his scar had grown larger. "Did... did Lucy do that to you?"

"Goten and Gine gave me a demon from hell!" he snarled, and extended an arm over her to shut the door. "I can't kick her either because she latches onto my boots and won't get the fuck off!"

Videl chuckled nervously while fiddling with her thumbs. She looked around the cleaned living room, taking in the silence and emptiness. "I'll just get on with it. I came to talk to Chi-Chi and Gine. Are they here?"

"No," was his blunt answer.

"NO!?" Videl cried out, and had to place a hand on her stomach when the action caused it to ache. Bardock began to eye her suspiciously, but remained silent until she calmed herself. "Where did they go!?"

"Tarble was getting kinda bored so Kakarot taught him how to drive and next thing you know he's parading his wife, my wife, and my daughter-in-law around the city," Bardock shrugged and pointed at the largest, comfiest chair for the girl to sit at. "Better him than me."

Videl shook her head at Bardock's gesture, and gave him a quick wave. "Well, I'll just be back tomorrow! See ya-"

"Hold it."

The sternness of his voice caused the poor wife to freeze. She was so close to escape, with her hand on the knob. Funnily enough, she didn't go through with it. She turned around and sniffed once before looking Bardock in the eye. He was still pointing at the chair.

"Sit."

Obliging, Videl trudged over to the chair and lowered herself onto it slowly as if her back was in a great deal of pain. Once she was settled, she took in a deep breath and let it out. "Alright. I give in, and just remember it's only because I'm scared right now. I've skipped my period... Do you know what a period is?"

Bardock deadpanned. "I've spent every day for a year with two females. I think I know a little something about riding the crimson wave."

"Oh my god, ew! You're worse than my dad!" Videl shuddered at Bardock's terminology and lowered her voice as if she were being punished for something. "But yeah... I haven't had it for a while now."

"How long is a while?" the male shot back, and a vein was beginning to show on his forehead. Ever since the wedding, he had known this day was coming. It's just that he had been hoping it would be a year or longer from now.

"Uhm... Like six weeks?"

"Six weeks!? Shit!" Bardock raised a hand, obviously not going to teach her a lesson but trying to threaten her for the stupidity nonetheless. "What the hell is wrong with you!? Didn't you suspect anything!?"

"I'm sorry!" she cried out, and gave him a meaty thunk on his chest with a small, balled up fist. "I'm sorry, okay!? I got very busy with school and- and-... I don't know! I'm happy and scared at the same time and I haven't been able to think straight!"

"You got that right," the grandfather mumbled. He ran a finger through his jet black, messy hair and tried not looking at the saddened blues of his granddaughter-in-law. Every trick these earth women pulled were in their eyes. "Fuck, Videl. Are you trying to say you've been impregnated?"

"Y-Yes..." another sniff, followed by a sob that struggled to be as silent as the girl could manage. Bardock felt his chest tightening, knowing that the girl wasn't the crying type. This had to be a serious issue to make that happen. "I-I'm going to the doctor later today, but do you think you could help me first?"

Awkwardly looking away while rubbing the back of his sweaty neck, Bardock glared at the chair in the corner of the living room. "There's something I saw someone do to their mate on Planet Vegeta once. I think it might give us an answer if the... fetus is nearly developed at this point."

Videl got to her feet promptly and scowled at the back of the man she considered a weirdo beyond measure. "It's not just a _fetus_ , Bardock!" the scowl changed into a thin smile when she placed a hand on his shoulder and lowered her tone. "But I could really use the help if you think you can do it. I just need answers, you know?"

The Saiyan slapped her hand away, but eventually turned around after sighing loudly. He didn't really have a say in the matter. Bardock reluctantly lifted up her shirt until her midriff was exposed. He gave her a look to make sure it was okay, and Videl nodded with her eyes closed tightly. When the cold flesh of his hand touched the warmth of her belly, she shuddered until Bardock flicked her on the nose to stop. Closing his eyes along with her, he tried his best to focus all of his energy on a particular spot.

Their eyes shot open at the same time once her pale stomach began glowing red, as if something was responding to Bardock's action. The duo grew breathless, unsure of what was occurring.

"Can Gohan do this to?" she whispered, her eyes widening sublimely. There was awe mixed with terror in those blue orbs while watching the color turn bright as a ruby. "I don't want to tell him... I mean, if I am... just yet..."

Videl frowned when the grandfather wasn't answering her. He had paled, and was raising a hand to cover his beating heart as he felt a shock touch his hand and run down his arm.

"Bardock? What is it?"

"I..." the grandfather slowly looked up from the red glowing skin and into the eyes of his granddaughter. His chest began swelling up with that emotion he was now becoming familiar with. For at that moment, his mind wasn't on Lord Beerus or Super Saiyan Gods or any other image that constantly haunted him. He was completely taken in by the baby of Gohan and Videl, and how chillingly beautiful it was to know that the scarred warrior had created a significant bond.

"I can feel the heartbeat."

XX

* * *

It hadn't even been thirty minutes since they returned to the World of the Kais, and Gohan was already planted under a tree studying. Goku dropped the training weights that Kibito Kai had materialized for him, and placed his hands on his hips while smiling down at his scholarly warrior of a son.

"You know, if you needed a quiet place to study, I could have brought you to a library or something!" the father teased, and then offered Gohan his hand when the young hybrid looked up with a blue.

"Sorry, Dad. It's nothing like that," he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand while getting back to his feet. "This book is actually useful for this situation. There's ton of advice that could help us in battle!"

"Oh?" Goku blinked, trying to keep up with what his son was saying although he was eyeing the training weights on the grass. "What's it called?"

Gohan beamed, and proudly flipped the book over so the cover was facing his father. " _The Art of War_! It's really something else! It's so much better than those other books Mom made me study back in the day!"

The messy-haired hero chuckled and shrugged lightly. "Goten isn't fond of them either, but it's a lot better than having him sent away to some fancy pants school."

"Hm?" Gohan placed his precious book on the grass and tilted his head in confusion. "Whaddya mean? Is Mom homeschooling him? And how do you know? Don't tell me you…" The son was wreathed in smiles, realizing that his father had finally listened to Bardock.

"I spent some time at the house yesterday," Goku shrugged yet again, acting like it was no big deal but a sly grin was sneaking up his face. The hero lowered his arms, keeping one closer to his fist with two fingers extended on each hand. "But I'd rather see what that's book taught you about fighting."

Gohan smirked at his father, knowing that the messy-haired Saiyan wasn't taken his new knowledge seriously. The kid was even beginning to consider himself smarter than Piccolo. He was stronger than Gotenks, Bardock, and even Vegeta. Now the question that it all came down to, was if his strength could outmatch his father's. Getting into his own fighting stance, Gohan placed one foot behind him. His right hand was drawn back, prepared to send out blasts at any given moment while his left hand rested in a fist by his waist.

"Lesson number one," he began. "Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."

"...Huh?"

As part of the plan he had made his mind before this spare even began, Gohan took advantage of his stumped father and came at him with a straight punch.

Snickering, Goku used instant transmission and appeared above Gohan's head in a flash. Before words could escape the mouth of the wide-eyed boy, Goku came down on him hard with clenched fists in an ax-handle, knocking him far, far below into one of the lakes of the Kai World. A giant geyser spit itself up in the air once the hybrid Saiyan had collided with the water.

"Errr! Wrong!" Goku teased, trying not to laugh at the way his son was fuming after falling into the lake. A frog rested on top of his head, croaking in response to his humiliation. "Planning your attack out in advance is great, but sometimes you have to be able to respond immediately! A boot almost nicked my ear, and now it's covered in mud!"

With his sweater and khaki pant combination, Gohan flew out of the lake and stopped right before his laughing father. "That brings me to lesson two. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

"Aw! Did that frog incident cause me to be your enemy, son!? I'm sorry!"

Gohan deadpanned. "No, Dad. It means that in battle, you need to know yourself inside and out along with having a good understanding of who your enemy is. Did you take note of my first mistake? I came at you like a fool. I fought Dabura like that, remember?"

The fight between the red devil and Gohan came to his mind instantaneously even before the son mentioned it. Goku had to shine that winning smile, realizing that Gohan was growing as a fighter. The lessons he's going on about relate more to him than anything; the father was actually learned in that department. "So? Why don't you fight me like you know me, then? You're acting kinda lousy!"

Although a determined smile remained, Gohan shook his head and appeared behind his father. He greeted him with a Zanku fist to the back, sending him upwards. Once higher in the air, Gohan began repeatedly using all parts of his body to attack Goku while the hero was able to block here and there. Something strange was beginning to happen, and Goku sweatdropped noticing that the hits were becoming harder to dodge. With a single swing and roundhouse kick to the gut, Goku went flying down to the ground. Gohan soon followed until they both had their feet planted on the short grass.

The two stood across from each other, having an intense stare down until Goku broke first. "Wow, son! Your base form is a lot faster than mine. I'm proud of you!"

Smiling genuinely, the son straightened up. "Yeah, but I'm nothing compared to Super Saiyan 3. Not to be mean, but without eyebrows you're kind of ugly!"

"Hey!" Goku's laughter crashed with Gohan's, and the father began closing the distance. "And your hairstyle makes you look like a porcupine! Why don't you go back to your mother's bowl cuts!"

" _I'm_ a porcupine!? You look like the reincarnation of a hedgehog!"

Goku stood proudly before his son and wiped a tear away from his eye. "Alright, Gohan. I'm curious. What's lesson number three?"

"Lesson number three" Gohan panted while looking into the eyes of the greatest warrior he knew. Their hands were placed on each other's shoulders, wearing weary smirks. "He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight."

Releasing each other, Goku put his hands together in a slow clap that led into a rowdy applause. He had always believed, although respecting Chi-Chi's views, that books were a waste of time and would never contain anything useful inside of them. Yet, here his son was, proving him wrong and using tactics that caught him off guard at times.

"It's not worth winning a battle if you miss out on so much in life, is it, Dad?"

Goku offered his hand to his son and placed two fingers by his forehead. He was beginning to understand what his own father had been talking about. There had to be a balance somewhere, one that he would need to risk burning himself every now and then. He peered at Gohan with an open eye, seeing that he was holding his book tightly in his free hand. Combining studies with fighting could be his thing. "Let's get you home, son."

The father and son duo had arrived outside a familiar door in Satan City in a second. With a quick shoulder squeeze, Goku left Gohan behind with a promise of meeting each other again tomorrow.

The new husband looked down at his gi and shook his head before turning the knob. "Aw man, look at my tattered clothes! Videl is gonna kill me! Where's Piccolo when you need him!?"

 _You know, she has been acting kinda strange... But she's never really cared for how I look, anyway._

Gohan took a sigh of relief, and at last opened the door. His eyes widened in surprise when Videl greeted him at the entrance, still wearing her trench coat and baseball cap from earlier this morning.

"I need to tell you something…."

XX

* * *

"Gohan's woman is pregnant?"

"Yup."

Vegeta cursed under his breath, but the sound of Goten and Trunks clashing with each other overpowered it. The adults were observing the children from the corner of the gravity room, although the prince's thoughts were starting to become clouded. Even with Trunks knocking Kakarot's son to the ground and pounding on him, Vegeta couldn't even manage a smirk.

"That means Beerus is coming."

Bardock nodded wordlessly, but was still admiring how Goten kept fighting back despite being overpowered. He always found it interesting that Gotenks' strength was a direct cause of what these two kiddos considered "playtime". Still, their chances would always remain slim if what Vegeta had said about Beerus was true. Maybe it was time to take a page from his son's book and relax until judgement day.

"Look, prince. You've told me that no matter what, we don't stand a chance against someone with his power. We've done all that we can to prepare. Why don't you just spend these last moments with that blue-haired wife of yours and Trunks? I'm going home for the night."

Vegeta opted to remain silent as Bardock expected. Once the boys had finished their spare, the grandfather handed them both Senzu beans. After a quick snack courtesy from Mrs. Brief, the messy-haired boys had left Capsule Corps when the moon had appeared in the sky.

Once more, the flamed-hair Saiyan had found himself sitting on the edge of Trunks' bed, not quite prepared to leave him yet. The look on his son's face contained obvious disappointment. "Seriously, Dad? Are you turning lame like Bardock? We don't have to stop training, really! I can handle it!"

"No son," the prince shook his head as he spoke with a stern voice, a universal sign to sons everywhere to knock their shit. "I'm going to do some training of my own starting tomorrow. I just want you to... be a child, I guess. Something of that sort. You know, _playtime_."

This was secretly the best news that Trunks had ever received. Since when was the last time his father told him to have some fun!? "You mean," his eyes lit up. "Play some video games!?"

Vegeta waved him off. "Sure, why not. As long as you don't distract me."

The lavender-haired boy grinned widely. Although his father would never, ever stop testing his strength, Trunks figured he'd ask anyway. It wasn't very often his dad acted like this. "Maybe... Maybe you could take like a thirty minute break or something tomorrow and play a game or two with me?"

Bardock's words echoed in the back of his mind, but Vegeta did his best to shrug them off. It didn't matter that he wasn't strong enough to fight Beerus. This time around, he had two people to protect from him. One of them was looking at him, while the other was waiting on him. Without saying a word, Vegeta nodded and turned off the light. He was able to leave before Trunks could get a word in.

When he entered his own room, Bulma was already sitting up reading some notes her partners took for her on some project Vegeta had no clue about. "Well," she looked up from the notebook and flashed him a devilish smile. "You're actually going to try and sleep tonight?"

"Try being the key word," he grumbled, nearly forgetting about his latest insomnia troubles. After discovering about Videl's pregnancy, it would definitely be another night of no sleep and more training. "Turn off the lights."

"Yes, _your majesty_ ," Bulma rolled her eyes and stretched her body up to turn the light on the fan off. By the time she had come back down, her husband surprised her by holding her closely against him. She shifted her body over so she could press her nose against his, something that caused him to twitch. "Wow... what's gotten into you? You haven't done this in awhile."

The telephone on the desk near Bulma's side began ringing. "If you answer, I'm sleeping outside."

"Oh yeah, such a tragedy!" Bulma rolled her eyes, but ended up remaining snuggled closely to her husband until the phone stopped ringing. The two laid next to each other with their eyes wide open, waiting for the caller to identify himself.

"I'M HAVING A BABY!" Gohan's voice came through the machine, causing the prince to cringe and Bulma to gasp loudly. "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? I'M GOING TO BE A DADDY! WELL, I'M JUST CALLING EVERYONE TO LET THEM KNOW HOW HAPPY I AM! A DADDY, BULMA! A DADDY! I'LL CALL YOU WITH MORE INFORMATION LATER! BYE! A DADDY!"

After they were positive Gohan had stopped saying 'daddy', Bulma laughed into Vegeta's bicep. "I always forget how loud that family gets when they're excited about something."

"Still not as loud as you," he remarked.

"Oh, shut up, you big jerk!"

A dark chuckle had disappeared as the night continued to grow darker. The couple laid dormant on the mattress, but their eyes remained watching the ceiling. Vegeta's mind was on the arrival of Beerus, wondering just what in the hell someone like him could do against a god of destruction. He'd die for the two in his home, but even that wouldn't keep them safe. It didn't before.

"Hey, Vegeta?"

"Hn."

"Do you think we'll ever have a baby?"

Lazily, Vegeta brushed the wayward strands of hair out of her face and gently kissed her on the cheek. Settling his lips against her ear, he whispered, "Not on your life."

XX

* * *

"Ah geez, it's taking a long time, isn't it?" Gohan paced the white-tiled halls, illuminated by fluorescent light. With each 'code blue' he was hearing over the intercom and every pastor that walked by, he was becoming more and more concerned. "OH! It's taking a long time!"

The Son Family, minus Chi-Chi who was in the room with Videl, along with Mr. Satan and Piccolo had crowded the waiting room. An annoyed receptionist was rolling her eyes at the young husband who would repeatedly ask her if his wife was still alive, and then would start tearing up every five minutes. Goten was sprawled out on the germ-infested tiles, something that his mother would scold him for if she were there, and tried to complete his homework for the Turtle School before Pan arrived. Goku was falling asleep, occasionally letting his head fall onto his mother's shoulder. When Gine would allow their son to cuddle up against her like some child, Bardock spat in disgust and decided to follow Piccolo outdoors.

"I can't believe they're both crying," the Namek shook his head in embarrassment, noticing that Hercule and Gohan were holding onto each other nervously before they left the waiting room. "If he would relax for just a minute, the kid could easily get a reading on Videl's ki and know that she's alright."

Bardock gave a half-nod, his eyes deciding to rest on the green tip of his boots while his hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly. "The God of Destruction was suppose to come at some point during these last nine months. What the fuck happened?"

Piccolo raised a brow bone. "Wait, are you telling me you actually _wanted_ him to come?"

The Saiyan scoffed, but kept his eyes locked on his feet. "It just means that training was all for nothing. Look, shit's been educational and fun, but what the hell are we doing? My fists been itching to beat the shit out of someone not on our side, but it looks like there's no more threat heading our way. Weren't those seven years of peace before I arrived bullshit?"

The Namek smirked while looking at Bardock's profile. "Just like your son, aren't you? Always wanting to take on the bad guys."

Two sets of eyes were watching the two conversing outside, trying their hardest to get their attention without breaking the glass. Gohan tapped his foot impatiently, gesturing for his dad and grandma to forget about it and follow him to meet his new baby.

"Guys, come on! They'll catch up! PAN IS HERE!"

Goku frowned. His family had personally banned him from using instant transmission in the hospital despite it being a huge use at this point. Still, walking was better than facing the wrath of Chi-Chi or his mother. His foot began itching to follow his son who didn't want to wait anymore and was already carrying Hercule down the hall. Seeing that both his father and grandmother were acting the same, Goten smiled cheerfully after closing his books.

"It's okay, Dad! You and Grandma can go see Pan, I'll go get Mister Piccolo and Grandma!"

Wordlessly, Goku ruffled Goten's hair and Gine kissed his cheek before the two headed Videl's way. Being use to the weirdness of adults, Goten shrugged and went outside to find that Bardock was standing all by himself.

"Grandpa!" he called, and began waving frantically when their eyes locked. "Where's Mister Piccolo!? Pan is here!"

Bardock explained to his little buddy about Piccolo getting nervous and deciding to wait for the new parents at their home while they navigated themselves through the innards of the hospital. Both of them grew silent once they reached the room where the rest of their family were crowded around the woman and child. Although he couldn't hear her through the soundproof wall, Bardock could tell that Videl told them to move out of the way so they could see the new baby.

Wrapped in Videl's arm was a chubby baby girl, hair as black as her parents and apple cheeks that contrasted with her alabaster skin. Pan. Her name was Pan, and she was finally here.

The second most beautiful thing Bardock had ever laid his eyes on.

"Wow.. I can't believe she came out of Videl's hoo-ha!" the child used the term he had heard his mother use before, but frowned when he looked up to see that Bardock was frowning.

"What's wrong, Grandpa?"

"I just don't understand..." Bardock placed his hands against the glass and watched as Goku had already begun pinching Pan's nose. "Beerus was suppose to come while Videl was impregnated."

Goten reached up and touched his grandfather's bicep. "Maybe the cat you saw in your vision was Lucy?"

Bardock shook his head, observing the little girl in Videl's arms. She was minuscule, yet represented love in the purest of form. His great-granddaughter had been delivered safely, with no threat and no Beerus or Super Saiyan God in sight. All those months of training, albeit rewarding, didn't seem to be necessary anymore. The faces of people he loved and thought he was going to lose were all surrounding the new mother and her child.

"Maybe..." Goten tried thinking of something else to say, not liking when his grandfather was silent and wordless. It wasn't like Bardock to not have some sarcastic thing to say back. "Maybe he...changed his mind?"

 _Maybe Pan was born too soon._

At last, Bardock looked down at his youngest grandson and slowly placed his hand on top of his messy head. During Videl's pregnancy, he had turned eight while Trunks turned nine. They were both beginning to grow taller; Bardock not having to reach down as lower as he use to. Perhaps Goten was right. Maybe Beerus had decided not to come to Earth after all, and the scarred warrior was given an opportunity to spend time with his growing family in peace.

Still, it would have been amazing to see his son become a god.

Bardock held Goten's hand tightly, knowing he would be too old for it some day. "Come on, kid, let's go meet your niece."

* * *

Four years had come and gone after the birth of a quarter Saiyan girl. Assuming Bardock's prediction had been faulty, the years spent watching the baby grow into a toddler had been some of the best moments of the Son family's, and Piccolo's, lives. Trunks had entered his first year of teenagehood, while Goten had freshly turned twelve. During moments between home schooling with Chi-Chi, the boys would return to Capsule Corporations with Bardock to train under Vegeta's watchful eye.

Gohan and Videl, through hard work and even longer nights, had earned all their credits for graduation. The husband was a professor at Satan City college in the morning, lecturing students on _The Art of War_ and numerous other treatises, a warrior in the afternoon, and a husband/father at night. The wife taught martial arts to young students at her father's dojo. Pan, exceeding all the other students, had to help her mama out with some of the training. Embarrassed to be bested by a four year old, the majority of young fighters quit. Those who stayed, however, learned the secret art of ki and frightened their parents.

Goku still continued to return to King Kai's planet every other day, and would use Instant Transmission to go to the World of the Kais when Gohan was ready to train for the extra room. His eldest son taught him the strategies he had learn from his readings, and the two would educate each other with what they knew. Gohan would ask every now and then about another Z Sword, but Elder Kai was always quick to change the subject. During the days of the week that Goku opted to stay home, he would do whatever Chi-Chi or his mother wanted to do. The majority of the time, it was going to the shopping mall - where Bardock and Goten were forced to go if they were caught in time.

Bardock maintained his career as a coach at Orange Star High, and often brought in his great-granddaughter for show-and-tell. He wasn't quite convinced that his fruition was wrong as everyone else had accused him of, and balanced training between Roshi and the prince for good measure. Gine and himself would take Lucy on walks, but the wife always had to tend to the scratches the cat would leave on Bardock's face when he got testy with her.

All in all, the four year period was a time of peace, rebuilding, and growing. All the Z Fighters had grown a little wiser, and a little older. They were so caught up in their own lives, that they would have never guessed they were being observed by the eyes of an attendant on a temple far, far away.

"Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan God," Whis mocked in a low voice, and then sighed as he tapped his scepter on the concrete. His destructive student was eyeing him with narrowed yellow orbs, waiting for him to give answers. "Well, it appears that there are nine Saiyans in total living on this blue planet called 'Earth'. The one you're interested in is training his son on Supreme Kai's planet right now."

Beerus cracked his neck a few times, moving his head around and around in a circular motion. The last time he had to deal with a Supreme Kai, he pissed him off to the point he had to find him a more suitable home inside a sword. "Nine, you say? How did so many escape that bastard's blast?" He placed his slender arms behind his neck and yawned lazily. "No wonder that arrogant waste of space was killed by the very thing he was trying to eliminate. _I_ should have been the one to do the job in the first place."

"Mmhm," Whis commented without taking his eyes off the orb. He could hear Kibito Kai and Elder Kai speaking to each other as they observed the attendant and his lord through their own crystal ball. He raised a white eyebrow, and cleared his throat. "Looks like we've got a couple of peeping Toms, Lord Beerus. Goku most likely knows you're heading his way soon."

"So be it," the purple cat shrugged and placed a hand on Whis' shoulder. "Let's get going. I'll just see if he knows about the prophecy. If he won't give me my answer, we'll take our business to planet Earth!"

Whis smirked after checking in on one of the Saiyans on the aforementioned planet and began chuckling. "You know, if that doesn't work out, the father of Goku has a female cat. Maybe you two can hit it off."

Beerus contemplated digging his nails into Whis' teal flesh for a second while he gritted his teeth, but knew it would only result in his own serious injury. "And maybe you could pick up on more superior cooking skills!"

"Now you're just being hurtful."

* * *

 **A/N** : Something that had always interested me was the idea of Future Trunks coming back to the timeline he helped out and encountering his younger self. The difference between them is significant, you know? That's the basis of my story "One in the Same" (which should be One and the Same, apparently.) The thing is, both this story and that one are running into the same timeline (Resurrection F). After much debating on my part, and due to some suggestions by those who have messaged me, I think I am going to incorporate that story into this one since I haven't gotten very far. I promise it's not going to a giant mess, but I would just love for Mirai to be back even if it's for a few chapters. Especially since he's the only one out of all the Saiyans who killed Frieza.

Let me know your thoughts, yeah? Thank you guys so much for sticking with me!


	9. Lord Beerus Arrives!

"Come on, Dad! We're going to be late to Bulma's party!"

"Twenty more reps, son!"

"Twenty or twenty thousand?" Gohan dropped his head, already feeling the pain of today's workout taking a toll on his neck. He had no clue how his grandfather kept up with it all; a full time job, a family, training. It was all too much! It's been five years since Bardock foresaw the arrival of the God of Destruction, and nothing has come to fruition. All this training was beginning to feel like a waste...

The tugging on his pant leg caused the young hybrid to look down. A little girl, looking more and more like her mother every day, had adjusted the sleeves of her matching orange gi before getting her father's attention. "What's wrong, Papa!? You look tired!"

Those innocent eyes of her always made him forget about his troubles. Giving her his best smile, Gohan knelt down so they were the same height. "Are you kidding me, Pan!?" he laughed, ruffling her thick black hair while doing so. The child began giggling in response. "I've got more energy than you!"

Teasingly, the girl pushed her father's hands away from her head and smiled proudly. "Prove it!"

"...Huh!?" the professor's face dropped, not expecting Pan to be up for a challenge after already running around the Sacred World of the Kais thirty times over. Chi-Chi had warned him about children having too much energy for him to handle, but this was ridiculous! "You want to race _now_!?"

Sensing her father's mood change, the child pouted and backed away slightly. Gohan felt his heart ache when she looked so sadly down at her boots. "So... you really are tired, Papa?"

"Agh...why do you have to sound like that?" Gohan mumbled under his breath while his brows knitted together momentarily. There was no doubt that his little Videl had taught their daughter this deceptive trick. There was no way getting around it. If there was, he would end up in a more worse position that he was now. After sighing loudly, the father rose to his feet while Pan rose her head up at the same time.

"Alright, kiddo. Let's race."

Letting out a squeal of delight, Pan hugged her father's leg tightly and then began prepping herself in the same manner Goku did before a fight. Sweatdropping at the sight, Gohan cracked his knuckles and waited for his daughter to start the official countdown. Somewhere in the distance, the heroic messy haired Saiyan was training with materialized weights.

"Oooookay!" Pan took a deep breath and threw her head back dramatically. "One...two..."

"STOP EVERYTHING!"

The father-daughter duo's eyes widened when Kibito Kai and Elder Kai appeared before them. Their faces were completely covered in panic sweat. Gohan could even sense their heart rates increasing rapidly like the thrumming wings of a caged bird. He raised an eyebrow, having only seen Supreme Kai look this terrified when Majin Buu was hatched. "...Guys? What's wrong?"

Nervously, Pan took a step backwards so she was protected by her father. She wasn't a fearful child by any means, but the expression of the Kais were beginning to make the small hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Papa...Something really scary must be out there..."

"Shh, it's alright Pan," without looking, Gohan offered her his hand and tightened his grip when their flesh connected. "...Isn't that right?"

Elder Kai placed his hands in front of him and shook his head rapidly. His purple face was beginning to fade to the point he was white. "N-NO! Absolutely not! You, Goku, and your daughter need to leave this place immediately! IMMEDIATELY!"

Gohan wiped the sweat from the old Kai off his face with the back of his hand. He opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it when he noticed the Kais continued to shake in their boots. "No worries, we'll leave. But could you at least tell me what's going on?"

The purple beings exchanged anxious looks with each other, and then glanced over their shoulders to make sure Goku wasn't close by. Kibito Kai motioned for Gohan to come closer and began whispering in his ear. "Lord Beerus is on his way here to speak to your father! If those two get into it, this planet and you three will be destroyed!"

"LORD BEERUS IS ACTUALLY COMING!?"

"EEEEEEK!" Elder Kai had fallen over once Goku screamed in his ear. He pointed a wrinkled finger at the mortified Kibito Kai. "DARN IT, I TOLD YOU TO BE QUIET!"

"I WAS!" the long haired Kibito Kai exasperated. A large sweatdrop was forming on the back of his head when he realized Goku didn't look frighten at all. The fool was absolutely giddy, like a kid in a candy store. He slapped his forehead, knowing there was no escape now. "Goku... Please. You have absolutely no idea how powerful Lord Beerus is! You are no match for him! You must flee while you can!"

No hope. Goku was clenching his fists and turning red as if he were struggling to contain the excitement coursing inside him. They even began to wonder if he was going to start frothing at the mouth. "I...can't..." the words coming through clenched teeth, until the hero decided to shout it out. His arms were outstretched, mocking Hercule's infamous stance. "BELIEVE IT! LORD BEERUS IS ACTUALLY COMING! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! GOHAN, ISN'T THIS FANTASTIC!"

Gohan bit his lip and shook his head throughout his father's howl. "Dad... This isn't a good thing..." he closed his eyes tightly, continuing to grasp his daughter's tiny hand in his large one. "Vegeta even told us he's met the guy before. Just look at the Kais! We need to leave Dad, and you know it."

Goku let out a whine, causing Gohan's brows to knit even tighter. "Awh, come on, son! You can't be serious!? After all this training!?"

"I've been training to protect my family. We've known this entire time we're outmatched. Come on," Gohan desperately reached out his free hand to his father, hoping that he would give in. "Besides, Bulma's gonna be pretty ticked off if we don't get there soon."

Scanning the orbs of his son, Goku frowned and let out a long sigh in the process. Maybe he could get away with dropping off Gohan and Pan, and then quickly coming back to have the opportunity to go head to head with the God of Destruction. He liked that idea so much, he began struggling to conceal the smiles he wanted to wreathe himself in. "Alright, alright. I hear ya. Let's get going-"

"Ahem."

A sudden bloom of heat made its way across the bodies of Gohan, Goku, and Pan. The Kais were the only ones capable of sensing their arrival, and yet they found themselves shocked by a sudden arrival. How could twenty six minutes have passed by so quickly? Kibito Kai's elder was the only one on this planet now that has witnessed the strength of the figure he was staring at now. The long haired being glanced over his shoulder at the bewildered Saiyans and felt his face begin to burn more. Beerus wouldn't kill him or his elder due to an unspoken rule. When it came to Earthlings? They should have escaped while they had the chance.

It was too late now.

"So..." Gohan reached a shaky finger out to Kibito Kai and tapped him twice on the shoulder. His eyes were examining the Egyptian clad feline, and then to the right of him at a white-haired humanistic being with a strange cane. He couldn't sense a power from either of them. "Which one is...Beerus?"

"That's Lord Beerus to you!" Elder Kai snapped, and caused Gohan to stumble back a few feet while their guests watched with uninteresting expressions. The fused Kai was waggling a stern finger in front of the hybrid's face while the daughter clung to his pants. "And you three need to leave! _Now_!"

Like a child, Goku was grinning so widely from ear to ear that he ended up laughing. He remembered it like yesterday, the month that had passed after the defeat of Kid Buu that his father pulled him to the side and told him about the strongest fighting in the entire universe coming to his world for a challenge. The hero even dreamed about the moment it would happen, and thanks to his stalling, they collided with each other at the perfect time!

"How awesome is this!?" Goku raised a fist in the air and cheered, causing the Kais to fall over at the blatant ignorance. Beerus even smiled with a flash of yellow in his orbs while Whis let out a bored yawn. "I've been waiting for you for five years, Beerus! I have to admit you don't look very powerful, but I've heard all the stories and I'm ready!"

Whis blinked at the tanned finger pointed at his chest while Elder Kai struggled to push Goku away from him. Beerus turned his head away to let out a brief snort while his attendant gently directed the pointed finger in the direction of the purple being beside him. " _That_ is Lord Beerus. I'm just the help."

"Ha! I knew it! This guy looks _much_ stronger!" Goku let out a delighted squeal while hopping from foot to foot. Whis clicked his tongue and sighed while Beerus kept his eyes locked on the cheerful Saiyan. Before he could open his mouth to give Beerus his long awaited pre-battle speech, the god appeared directly behind him and began lifting up his arm to inspect it.

"Quick, Kibito Kai!" Gohan spoke in a hushed yet serious tone, pushing a confused Pan in the direction of the long haired lord. "Take Pan back to Earth and warn the others. I'll stay here and make sure things don't get too crazy."

"But I want to stay with you, Papa!" Pan cried out, beginning to run back to her father until Kibito Kai snatched her up by the collar of her gi. She began swinging her arms around wildly, fighting against his hold and continuing to call out for her grandfather and dad. "Lemme go, lemme go!"

"Pan, stop!" Gohan ordered sternly, and the poor girl sniffed at his response. It wasn't very often that he spoke like that. "You're going back home to tell Gramps about what's going on. Tell him we'll be there shortly."

 _I hope so..._

"I'll make sure she gets to Bardock safely, Gohan!" Kibito Kai spoke hurriedly while taking occasional glances at the God of Destruction poking and prodding the confused Goku. "You just keep those two from fighting, and I'll be here as quick as I can!"

With one last protesting wail from Pan, the two faded away from sight. Gohan let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in and looked back at his father with an annoyed

"We don't want any trouble!" Elder Kai spoke with the utmost respect with his head held high, but he was concealing his fear. Sure, Beerus doesn't kill any Kais since it's improper. But he sure as hell won't hesitant to seal them inside the most cramped object he could think of. "These buffoons were just on their way out. Isn't that right?"

Gohan tried speaking next, but was quickly elbowed to the side by his eager father once Beerus had finished examining him. The orange wearing Saiyan began bowing before the god, stumbling over his words. "Hello, Lord Beerus sir! My name is Goku! It is very nice for you to meet me!"

"Oh, no..." Gohan had to look away, hoping that Beerus would find his father's ways charming instead of annoying.

To his surprise, Beerus let out a short laugh. "Yes, I know very well who you are. Now that that's out of the way, I have something I'd like to ask you. Tell me what you know about the existence of a Super Saiyan God."

Stumped, Goku stood up straight and began rubbing his chin. "Hm... Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan God... Nope! I know about plan old Super Saiyans. This god stuff isn't ringing any bells, dude."

"DAD!"

"I know not of it, sir!"

Beerus frowned and tilted his head to the side. His yellow orbs were watching his attendant and the Saiyan before him at the same time. The god was taking in everything, from the vulnerable position this man stood in to the way his eyes glimmered strangely. The sphynx huffed through his nostrils and brought himself back upright. "Whis tells me you're the one who defeated Frieza. I can't see how someone like you is possible of that feat... Although," he began pacing through the grass, causing Elder Kai and Gohan to tense up even more. "I understand you can transform into one of those Super Saiyans."

"Y-Yes!" the fused Kai spoke up, but made sure to keep his distance from the god. Last time he tried proving him wrong didn't turn out so well. "It's a miraculous power up... But I've helped Gohan here maintain a mystic form so he doesn't require that transformation. Isn't that right, boy!?"

Gohan straightened up with Elder Kai put him on the spot. Beerus didn't seem to listen to a word Elder Kai said, being too interested in what was going on in his mind while walking back and forth. Whis, however, caused the young man to gulp when his attention turned away from Goku and settled on him instead. "Y-Yeah... That's right..."

 _Why is he staring at me!? What did I do!?_

As if Whis could somehow hear him, the humanoid smiled cheekily as if he knew something Gohan didn't and turned away. "My lord, what are you thinking?"

"Quiet, I'm getting there!" Beerus finally paused where he stood and placed his hands behind his back. He glanced over his shoulder at his attendant. "He can turn into a Super Saiyan but doesn't know a thing about a Super Saiyan God. Tell me, is Prince Vegeta capable of turning into a Super Saiyan as well?"

Before Gohan or Goku could answer for him, Whis beat them to it. "Yes, as well as three other Saiyans on Earth."

Goku's scratched the back of his head and smiled dopey. "Man! You sure did some research, didn't ya!?"

"Four of them have this power... How odd," when Beerus started speaking again, the eyes of the other inhabitants looked at his backside while his long purple tail swished around behind him. "I guess I need to go check out Planet Earth myself and ask them."

When Beerus pivoted around, Elder Kai and Gohan stepped back as he inched closer and closer. "Lord Beerus... Are you sure? I doubt the other Saiyans know more about the god than Goku does..." the Kai had to look down at his feet while speaking, afraid that he might say something that angered him.

"Perhaps, but I won't know if I don't ask myself, will I?" Beerus flashed Gohan a peculiar grin while he passed him, causing the hybrid to sweat. "Whis, how long will it take us to get to Earth from here?"

"Hm," the white-haired being observed the orb on his cane and shrugged. "I'd say about three minutes."

Gohan watched helplessly as the feline went behind Whis and placed his clawed hand on his shoulder. "Hey, wait!"

"Hm?" the two looked at him curiously while Goku frowned at the fact Gohan beat him to the punch.

The son stood up as straight as he could and tried to maintain a voice that matched. "Being the God of Destruction and all... You're not going to destroy my planet or anything... Are you?"

Beerus smiled arrogantly while cracking his neck on both sides. "No, as long as nobody does anything to annoy me."

Gohan's face dropped at the words, immediately thinking of Bardock and the trouble-making kids. He immediately turned to his father and shook him by the shoulders. "Dad! We're doomed! Think of something!"

"NO! DON'T TELL HIM TO THINK!" Elder Kai pleaded, but it was too late. Goku had pushed the two to the side and stood as eagerly as before the almost disappearing duo.

"Your lordship, I have been told many great things about your abilities!" Goku began rambling off the speech prepared inside his mind, trying his best to remember everything he had practiced before. He held his hand out in front of him and made a pinching gesture with his thumb and index finger. "I was kinda wondering if perhaps you could show me just a _teensy_ bit of your power!? Please!?"

Beerus removed himself from Whis and stood before Goku with an inquisitive look in the slits of his eyes. "You want to see some of my power? What have you in mind?"

Goku placed his hands on his sides and raised his voice a little louder. "WE CAN GO TOE TO TOE IN A SPARRING MATCH! EVEN FOR A MINUTE!"

"QUIET, YOU MORON!" Elder Kai screamed in his face so loud that bits of spit were flying from it. "A FIGHT WITH HIM LASTS LESS THAN A MINUTE!"

The God of Destruction raised his hand to silence the Kai while Gohan couldn't shake away the nervous feeling from his stomach. Judging from the look on Beerus' face, he knew he wasn't going to let this one slide. But it was just a sparring match... Not an actual, actual fight. It couldn't get that bad...

 _Could it?_

"I have lived a very long time and nobody has ever issued a challenge like yours," Beerus hooded his eyes and looked down at his shoes, a smirk growing wider with each word. "You seem quite sure of yourself, but perhaps you're just an arrogant fool?"

There sounds of protest coming from both Gohan and the Elder Kai while Goku kept his eyes focused on Beerus. His smirk was just as wide as the god's. "What do you say?"

"Sure," he chuckled and shrugged his scrawny shoulders. "Why not. Come at me with everything you got."

Elder Kai gripped the white hairs of his mohawk and began screaming his defeat, while Gohan tried his best to move him far away from the challengers. "Come on," he sighed loudly. "You and I both know nobody can change my dad's mind about fighting." The father of four years lifted the sobbing Elder Kai into the highest tree. Once the two were settled on their own specific branches, Gohan shook his head at his father's goofy grin.

 _You are are loving this, huh Dad? Ah well. Nothing left to do but cheer you on._

"GO DAD! GET HIM!"

Goku waved at his son before giving his full attention to Beerus. Whis gently backed away a few inches to give the fighters their space on the grass. "Thank you, Lord Beerus! But are you sure you want to come at you with my full strength right off the bat? I mean, if I piss you off, you can't destroy this planet, alright?"

Beerus closed his eyes in irritation before mouthing, 'Is he telling me what to do?' to his attendant, while Whis rolled his eyes. "You have my word. Let's begin."

In the distance, Elder Kai could be heard screaming from the tree while Goku proudly parted his feet at equidistant. The familiar golden aura shot up from the messy haired male, causing his normally jet black hair to stand up in golden spikes. "Well, you see, first I go Super Saiyan!" Without waiting for a response from Beerus, both the aura and the tips of the hair grew slightly bigger while Goku's body became wreathed in electricity. "Then, I go Super Saiyan 2!"

The God of Destruction placed a hand on his hip while scratching his cheek with the other. He was already beginning to wonder why he ever woke up in the first place. "...Go on."

The ascended Super Saiyan clenched his fists even tighter and let out an ear piercing scream. Gohan grabbed onto Elder Kai's shirt before he could fly away, and the two observed from above as the grass quivered in awe of the power emerging from the Saiyan named Goku. The son nodded in approval when he watched the golden hair ascend downwards to the point it almost touched the ground.

"You've got this one, Dad..."

The no-eyebrowed Goku smirked at the power he felt inside of him, and settled his icy green eyes on the still unamused God. "Now this is the one you've been waiting for. The legendary Super Saiyan 3!"

Beerus placed the hand that was scratching his cheek back on his right hip and clicked his tongue. "My, my. I have to say, this is quite the surprise after all. I guess the Super Saiyan talk wasn't just a bunch of tripe after all."

Goku chuckled and he donned a look of haughty disdain. "If you want, I could lower it back down to 2."

"Nope, that's not necessary. Just try your best and don't hurt yourself."

The now angered Saiyan growled under his breath. He kicked himself up from the ground with one leg and began flying towards the smirking sphynx. "You still wanna doubt me!? FINE!" To trick the god, he pretended like he was going to attack him from the front. At the last minute, he teleported behind and sent his tight fist pummeling downwards in a speed no other fighter could match.

To his horror, Gohan watched as Beerus simply lifted his arm up as if it were nothing and balanced his father's fist on his palm. With a flick of the wrist, he sent the long-haired Super Saiyan 3 across the grass. The hybrid only blinked for a moment, expecting his father to be back on his feet and teaching this guy a lesson on Saiyans. What he saw instead was the scrawny cat flicking his forehead. The son watched helplessly as his father skidded throughout the grass like he was a pebble being skipped across a lake.

"This..." Gohan blinked. "..Can't be happening. Beerus attacked him so effortlessly! It looks like my dad's not even trying!"

"I warned ya!" Elder Kai scolded from the branch above. "Didn't I warn ya!? Your father is history!"

Not down for the count just yet, Goku emerged from the moat he created but not unscathed. He was groaning from pain caused to his face, and the blood on his lips reflected it. The Saiyan glanced down angrily to see Beerus gesturing from him to come down. Goku descending in a golden rage, creating yet another crater on the beautiful sacred planet and rapidly attacking the god.

Gohan still couldn't believe what he was seeing. Beerus was dodging every single plow, once again making his father look so incredible weak. The young male clenched his fists together, reminding himself about the lessons he tried preaching to his father. He who wins the fight knows when not to fight.

During one of his dodging maneuvers, Beerus bounced himself off of Goku's finger and landed behind him. While he was licking the back of his hand to clean it off, Goku pulled his fist back in rage and screamed before his fist connected with the back of the god's head.

The peanut gallery remained silent, amazed and horrified that the Saiyan's mighty attack ripped an entire hole throughout the planet. Elder Kai groaned, praying that it would stop soon and silently vowing to never let these morons come to his home ever again.

Appearing that he had finally landed a hit, Goku scanned the area hastily. His face was scrunched up while doing so, bothered by the fact he couldn't sense Beerus' ki. Then, out of nowhere, the purple being had emerged from the dust and gave his opponent a victorious smile before chopping down on his trapezius muscle with a straight hand. Goku let out a pained, defeat gasp of agony before fainting into the hole he created.

Beerus landed gracefully on his feet while Gohan and Elder Kai made their way to the fallen hero. The hybrid glowered at the god as he placed his hands behind his back and whistled while heading back to the patient Whis.

"Darn it!" he snarled under his breath while lowering himself to his father's side. He placed a hand on his heart just to make sure it was still beating. He was alive, but knocked out cold. "I hope Kibito Kai gave Gramps the message... If Beerus did this to Dad, I can't even begin to imagine what he'd do to the rest of them."

"Don't worry, Gohan!" the aforementioned Kai had suddenly appeared inside the crater with him. He looked stressed out beyond belief, placing his hands over Goku's chest to begin the healing process. "I just can't believe this! I was gone for two minutes!"

Gohan kept his face stern and serious as the Kai began the healing process, yet his mind was urging him to ask the favor that's been bothering him while he had the chance. Although it didn't feel too great seeing his father get beaten, the hero _had_ asked for it and Beerus remained a man of his word. Nobody died, and the planet was still intact. And man, that power of a God! Talk about immense! He just _had_ to ask.

"GOHAN!" Elder Kai scolded as he watched the hybrid jump out of the crater. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?"

"Hey, uh, Lord Beerus, sir?" Gohan called out nervously, shaking where he stood but trying his hardest to sound anything but. He had caught the God of Destruction midway to his journey back to his attendant for the beginning of their earth travel. "I know this is kind of weird to ask, but a long time ago I trained with the Z Sword you created, and I was kinda wondering if you'd maybe possibly make another one?"

Beerus glanced over his shoulder to look at the young man who had just questioned him. The Sacred World of the Kais had as much damage as seen proper, while the fused Kai and Elder Kai he trapped in the Z Sword before were tending to the fallen Goku. Unlike his father, this man had a face of knowledge beyond his years. Perhaps, there was a reason besides respect that the son stayed out of the fight.

He was a bit curious about what Kai had mentioned as well, 'not having to go Super Saiyan'.

The god drew back his lips and revealed his teeth. "Just tell me which Kai you like the least and I'll be happy to do the favor in the near future."

"...Huh?"

Beerus gave the stumped hybrid a wink before disappearing with his attendant.

* * *

"See, Master Roshi!? I could be your flying nimbus that you won't fall through!" Goten laughed while the old turtle hermit grumbled under his breath. The trio of Bardock, the kid, and their teacher were making their way to Capsule Corporation for the celebration of the day Bulma Briefs was born.

"You're taking too damn long, kid!" Bardock glanced over his shoulder to see his grandson pouting. "Why don't we try that little trick we've been working on while the pervert's been taking naps?"

Roshi's sunglasses moved while he raised his white eyebrows. "Eh? A trick?"

After the two Saiyans exchange sly smirks, they both began chanting the beginning of the perfectly honed technique of the Kamehameha wave. Roshi shook his head on the first 'haaaaa', snickering behind his sunglasses. "This is your little trick? The move we've been doing for the past five years? Give an old man a break!"

The mighty voice of the rather small Goten caused Roshi to vibrate on his back while he shouted, 'Meeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"HEY! Wait a minute!" Roshi placed his hand on his heart, noticing something strange. "Your hands aren't even in the right place! You're doing it all wrong!"

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Roshi had to grip onto Goten's shoulders as they took off at an outstanding speed. The old man looked over his shoulders and his glasses nearly broke at the sight of the wave coming out of the child's feet. He swiftly looked to the right, seeing that Bardock had done a feet Kamehameha as well. They were speeding past Krillin and his family, zooming by Yamcha and Tien, and avoiding any injuries on their way.

"Did you see Krillin's face!?" Goten laughed and looked over at his grandfather. "He must have never seen something like this before!"

"On the contrary!" Roshi interjected, causing the boy to look over his shoulder at his master. "Your father did this once during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament against Piccolo! Only the most disciplined fighters could do something like this! I'm very proud of you boys!"

Bardock winked, hoping he wouldn't regret what he said. "Eh, I think having a good teacher helps."

The wave had soon died off once the trio approached the front lawn of Capsule Corporations. Roshi hopped off Goten's back before landing, and gave the boy a pat on the back. "Thanks for all the help, son! If you ever need anything like a good magazine or something, I'd be more than happy to assist ya!"

"Ugh! You are impossible!"

Roshi was given a clonk to the head by Chi-Chi before Goten had a chance to respond. The messy-haired child awkwardly waved at the old man as he scurried off as far away from the mother before she had another chance to attack. "Mama, what kind of magazines does Master Roshi read anyway? His nose always bleeds when he looks at 'em!"

"You'll find out when you're older, kid." Bardock managed to grab Chi-Chi's wrist before she could pop him one as well. The woman was turning red in the face, but not from any pain. "Aw, what's the matter _daughter_? Getting too slow in your old age?"

When he released the grip on her wrist, Chi-Chi scowled beneath him. It was true that everyone was aging, but those damn Saiyans always remained looking the same. Hell, even Gine looked ten years younger than her! "Once a savage, always a savage, huh?" When he threw her a peace sign, the wife of Goku sighed and turned her attention to her young son. "Goten, could you go help the Briefs with organizing the gifts for the bingo tournament? The doctor pulled a muscle."

"Uh, sure Mama... But..." the boy chuckled nervously and held out his leg so she could see the bottom of his boot. "Do you think I could change? I burned holes in my shoe!"

Chi-Chi sweatdropped when she saw Bardock doing the same thing, only with a serious look on his face. "Once again, you guys think I'm some sort of miracle worker! I don't just carry your shoes around with me!"

"I think I could help with that."

"PICCOLO!" Goten cheered when the deep voice of the Namek came from above. They looked up to see him and the guardian of the Earth coming in for landing. Once he touched ground, Piccolo aimed first at Goten's shoe, fixing the hole immediately. The boy gave him a quick thumbs up and went to assist Dr. Brief while Piccolo fixed up Bardock.

"You haven't been to any of these stupid celebrations in years, green man. What gives?"

The Namek shrugged. "Gohan is bringing Pan, so I thought why not."

"Mmhm," Bardock suppressed some laughter after remembering what Videl had told him about the Namek coming to visit every other day to spend time with their daughter. They've even caught him on the rooftop a couple of times. "Anything for Pan, huh?"

When Piccolo started to look more red than green, he looked around frantically for any possible distraction. Luckily for him, his eyes honed in on a small trio in the distance. "Isn't that your wife?"

Bardock rolled his eyes at the obvious attempt to change the subject but looked in the direction he was pointing in anyway. Sure enough, Gine was leading the group of herself, Tarble, and Gure. They were all dressed in their usual attire of Saiyan armor and wherever the hell Gure was from. But that wasn't all.

"Lucy!?" Bardock snarled when he caught sight of the demonic cat in his wife's arms. "You brought Lucy!?"

The female Saiyan frowned as she lowered the feline to the ground. She hissed at Bardock before taking off in another direction, preferably far away from her brutish owner. "What? I couldn't leave her there all by herself! She won't do anything wrong!"

"HEY GUYS!"

The group that was currently there looked over their shoulders to see the birthday girl herself stumbling her way over to them. Bardock rubbed the back of his neck and sighed at the slurred voice. "Is she drunk already?"

Bulma gave the male a threatening glare as she approached. "For your information, I can't drink for a few months! I'm just naturally the life of the party!"

Bardock's eyes narrowed in on her. "What do you mean you can't drink? Every stupid ass party we've had over this past half decade, you've downed those drinks like a thirsty cow."

"Alright," Piccolo cleared his throat louder than Bulma's growl and turned his back on the crude Saiyan. "I'm going to wait somewhere else so I don't get any of your blood on my cape." He gestured for Dende to follow, and the shorter Namek politely bowed to everyone before doing so.

"YOU IDIOT!" she snapped in his face, and Chi-Chi and Gine approved. At this moment, Tarble was becoming frightened by his sister-in-law and moved himself and Gure to a safer distance. "I'M PREGNANT!"

"You're pregnant!?" the women squealed at the same time and crowded the blue-haired woman. Chi-Chi gushed and clasped her hands together in delight, pushing Bardock to the side with her hips.

"Oh! Just wait until Videl gets here! She's going to be so excited!"

Not liking the look on Gine's face while she placed her hand on Bulma's stomach, Bardock awkwardly backed away until he was a good distance away to start running. It was either a time to congratulate the genius on her process of birthing another hybrid, or go make fun of Vegeta for it.

XX

* * *

"Hey, kid. You're as tall as your father now!" Bardock laughed at his own joke while greeting Trunks with a short wave. The young male had just gotten out of the shower after a training session with Vegeta, still towel drying his lavender hair.

The boy grinned at the sight of his prodigal grandfather, and placed the damp white rag around his neck. He was wearing a long-sleeved baseball shirt with his family's famous logo, but under the thin material his muscle mass was outlined. Bardock smirked, realizing that the kid had more muscles than poor uncle Tarble.

"My dad's not going to Mom's party," Trunks chuckled nervously out of spite, knowing that his father would most likely be kicked out of the house tonight for his decision. "But if you're looking for him, he's still in the Gravity Room."

"Was that..." Bardock raised an eyebrow, and his cruel yet teasing smirk grew wider when the boy began to blush. "Was that a puberty squeak?"

"Ah, shaddup!" the crimson-faced hybrid gave a straight fist punch to Bardock's stomach, causing the unexpected howling monkey to turn into a wheezing smoker. "Is Goten here?"

Not able to speak at the moment, Bardock pointed a trembling finger behind him to direct Trunks. The boy awkwardly patted Bardock on the shoulder for a half-assed apology, and then left the groaning Saiyan to help himself up.

"Oh, this is priceless!" the infamous cruel laughter of the prince entered Bardock's ears. His eyes soon focused in on the gold tips of his white boots. "Five years later and my son _still_ kicks your ass!"

"Huh," Bardock brought himself upright once the pain ceased. "How the hell did you manage to get your wife pregnant when you spend your entire life training?"

Vegeta continued to gulp down the can of juice he grabbed from the mini firdge outside of the gravity room until there was nothing left. The empty can soon turned into insignificant bits of foil in his fist and landed on the tiles beneath him. He observed his gloved hands to make sure there wasn't any left and shrugged. "It's got the ki of a female."

"Shit," Bardock chuckled darkly and took a step back to look fully at the poor, broken bastard before him. "Your life is over now, you know that?"

"GRAMPS!" a shrill voice was heard coming from the other end of the hallway. Bardock and Vegeta flipped each other off before turning their attention to the small girl running frantically towards them. "GRAMPS!"

The prince looked beyond her. "If Gohan's brat is here, where's Kakarot? Weren't they all on that damn planet together?"

Bardock ignored Vegeta's rant and offered Pan his arms. Instead of falling into a usual embrace, Pan screeched to a halt in front of him and desperately placed her small hands on his broad shoulders. "Gramps!" she was huffing. "Kibito Kai dropped me off but was too worried to stay away from Grandpa and Papa so he left me here but told me to tell you the news and-"

The great grandfather sealed her lips with his index finger and thumb. "You're just like your uncle, kid. Slow it down. Just tell us why you came in here like a maniac."

Once Bardock removed his fingers, Pan took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. Vegeta was tapping his fingers angrily against his biceps, growing more impatient by the minute.

"Oh, get on with it!"

Pan shot a glare up at the prince momentarily before settling her worried eyes on Bardock. "He told me to tell you that Beerus is on their planet right now, and once he's done with Grandpa," she sniffed when she felt her heart drop to her stomach. The poor child didn't want to believe her Grandpa Goku could die having a simple battle with that skinny cat. "He's going to come here."

A dark silence fell around the trio. Through his peripherals, Bardock could see Vegeta's tightened fist begin to tremble. His great granddaughter wasn't a liar. She was never told about Beerus or the seemingly faulty vision he had five years ago. It was very, very real. "Out of all the days," the scarred one shook his head and rose to his feet while looking at the green tips of his boots.

"Pan, I want you to go find your mother, alright?"

Pan bit her lower lip, not expecting her great grandpa to be as frightened as her father was. They were some of the strongest men she knew. Without saying a word, the girl nodded and left the hall as fast as she came through it. Once the tapping of her small feet had ceased to exist, Bardock and Vegeta exchanged wordless concern and walked side by side to the outdoors.

The two continued to remain silent, struggling to come up with words that described everything going on inside of their minds. Bardock's chest was hurting deeply thinking of his son and grandson alone up there to the point his knees were getting weak. He made a few grabbing gestures with his hands until his mouth finally opened. "How are we doing to handle this?"

Vegeta felt the sun rays light begin to warm his skin the moment they entered the outdoors. Instead of going through the front door and seeing all the guests, Vegeta brought him into the backyard so they were away from the others. "He's obviously going to come looking for me. I'm the strongest one here. There's no reason to get the others involved. If I remember..." the prince grew wordless for a second, and then flinched after a distant, painful memory ended. "Beerus... will be tolerable if you don't piss him off. So I suggest you rip off your lips for the time being."

"You know prince, now isn't a good time to be an asshole to me. If Beerus tries to kill you, I'm the only one here that can save your sorry ass."

"Get over yourself!"

Despite the feeling in his chest, Bardock managed to chuckle. He thought it was going to last longer, but it all came to an end when a strange silhouette appeared on the grass. If everything he had learned from Roshi was true, the sun was casting a shadow from a person standing behind him. The two Saiyans had stopped walking to look at the dark figure, taking note of the long ears.

"Lucy?"

"Guess again."

The stronger fighters on the planet as of that moment seemingly turned into nothing more than a couple of toddlers after hearing their mother warn them of the boogeyman. They turned around ever so slowly to find that their version of a boogeyman was none other than the God of Destruction - a catlike being that haunted Bardock's nightmares and was the only person to send fear coursing throughout the prince. Beside the boogeyman was a more humanistic character, with hair as white as snow and superior look on his face.

"Keep...your mouth...shut..." Vegeta warned Bardock through clenched teeth while Beerus took two steps ahead of Whis to close the distance between himself and the Saiyans.

"Ah, Prince Vegeta. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Beerus flashed his blinding pearly whites at the flame-haired Saiyan, causing him to blink rapidly. "I've come here to ask you a question."

To Bardock's surprise, Vegeta bowed down to the god as if he were his servant. While he mouthed 'what the fuck' to himself, the prince cleared his throat and smiled nervously. "L-Lord Beerus! I'd be happy to answer anything!"

"What a little bitch..."

"Hm?" Beerus' ears perked up when he caught sight of the furry belt wrapped around Bardock's waist. His pupils widened as recollections of the Super Saiyan God in his dream had a tail swishing around behind him. He tilted his head in fascination and studied the messy spikes on his head with a smirk. "Are you the father of Goku?"

Bardock's eyes narrowed at the mention of his son. Protectively, he straightened up and held his fists out by his sides. "What did you do to him!?"

Ignoring the question, Beerus transported himself behind the grouchy Saiyan and began examining his tail. When Bardock felt the clawed fingers of the god touch it, his eyes widened and he swung around defensively.

"I hope you didn't come all this way just to grope me!"

"Oh my," Whis blinked at the reaction coming from the scarred one. "Lord Beerus, he has a temper worse than you!"

Beerus' eye began to twitch slightly at the tone of his voice. "Perhaps he doesn't know the power of destruction. You see, dear Saiyan," the god leaned closely into Bardock's face and observed the newfound fear in his eyes with delight. "It's quite...deadly."

"You fucking moron!" Vegeta growled under his breath quietly when he saw an orb of white light beginning to form on the tip of his index finger. The prince grabbed Bardock's bicep tightly and pulled him away, causing Vegeta to be the one in crossfires. "Please excuse my idiot comrade, we all think he was dropped on his head like his son."

Beerus' vein was pulsating on his forehead as he began contemplating the death of these Saiyans. He grunted under his breath, realizing that he still hadn't asked his question about the Super Saiyan God. The light disappeared much to Vegeta's relief, and Beerus took a step backwards to observe the prince. "Back to what I need to ask you. What do you know about a Super Saiyan-"

"Lord Beerus, look! It's Lucy!"

Beerus whipped around in annoyance to see the calico cat strolling her way through the thick grass of the Capsule Corporation's backyard. Whis was either making a mockery of him, or seriously amazed by the sight of her. Sighing, Beerus waved to the now mewing feline that paused in front of him. "Greetings, Lucy. What is it?"

"Meow!"

"...He what!?"

Bardock and Vegeta stood side by side, their eyes twitching rhythmically while Lucy continued to mew and converse with the God of Destruction. With each noise the cat was making, Beerus' glower grew stronger while the Saiyans' hearts dropped lower.

"Gine, I could kill you for bringing that vermin!" Bardock whispered harshly under his breath, but quickly stood up straight as a ruler when Beerus began clearing his throat. There hadn't been a moment in so, so long - mostly dating back to when he first laid his eyes on Dabura - that the scarred warrior could actually _feel_ his heart beating in his ears. He glanced at Vegeta through his peripherals as Beerus inched closer and closer, noticing that the prince was frozen stiff. Out of everyone on this Earth, he was the only one to have ever dealt with the god.

The look on his face didn't settle well with Bardock at all.

Beerus held his clawed hand in front of his face, and picked at the dirt inside his nails. When tiny pieces of silt were scrapped out, he flung them to the ground. The purple sphynx observed his now clean claws front and back, while Lucy placed herself at his side. The feline that usually occupied the Son home was giving her owner a smug look, as if she had just sealed his fate.

"You know," Beerus spread his fingers apart and smirked at the sun glare bouncing off the tips. It truly was a good day for destruction. "I was already considering doing away with you when you disrespected me. But now, your little Lucy here tells me you're a cat abuser."

"SHE'S A FUCKING LIAR!"

"Meow!"

Whis and Beerus exchanged looks with each other while Bardock made threatening gestures to the small cat curled up beside Beerus' foot. "Well," the attendant nodded. "She most certainly wasn't lying."

"Idiot!" Vegeta snarled, wishing that Bardock was the one that got his ass beaten instead of Kakarot. He's just as moronic, but at least the goon would have that dumbass grin plastered on his face. His father, on the other hand, was just begging to die. It was up to the prince to think of something, anything, to keep Beerus from destroying his home.

Anything at all.

The prince painfully looked back over to Bardock after focusing on a spec on the ground, and sincerely wish he hadn't. The fighter had lifted the cat up, holding it by her neck while she scratched at his face and seethed.

 _You know, on second thought, maybe he deserves to die._

* * *

 **A/N** : Long wait due to classes getting complicated, but I hope it was worth it and some of you are still sticking around. Super is getting really good, isn't it? :-) Ohhh I just WISH that Bardock will make an appearance since the apparent storyline involves traveling to other universes. Sigh, we can only hope, right?

Also, in DBS and BoG, the Super Saiyan God Beerus imagined/Shenron talked about was shown with a tail. Obviously, this doesn't mean that our SSG in this story will be one of three Saiyans with a tail - just like how it was in cannon. I'll also get to messaging/answering your questions to, I'm so very sorry for the slack. I've been all over the place, just like this story.


	10. Give Me My Super Saiyan God!

"Are you back to a hundred percent now, Goku?"

The Saiyan in the crater blinked his eyes open slowly to find two familiar faces staring down at him. The healing hands of Kibito Kai had returned to the god's sides, reassured by his ally's movement that everything was going to be fine. Beside him was Elder Kai, not even bothering looking down at the disobedient trespasser of his nearly destroyed planet.

Goku continued to blink, trying to remember the third face he should have seen...

"Where's Gohan!?" he sat up straight and looked around the space frantically. Anything could have happened during that moment of unconsciousness, anything at all with the frightening power of Beerus around. "GOHAN!?"

"Dad! Calm down, I'm right here!" the young adult had finally recovered from Beerus' words and jumped into the crater. His father got to his feet the moment he landed in front of him, and the messy haired hero placed his hands on Gohan's shoulders. The son frowned at the ambivalence reflecting in his dark orbs. "Are you alright, Dad?"

Goku gave his son a small smile before removing his hands. The muscular arms of the once strongest fighter crossed over his chest while he gazed up at the sky where Beerus and Whis had disappeared. "Yeah, son. I just can't believe...there's a Saiyan out there _that_ powerful to go toe to toe with the God of Destruction."

Before Gohan could open his mouth, Elder Kai sneered. "Well, there _isn't_!" the purple skinned being threw his hands up in the air and turned his back on his visitors while Kibito Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "It's about time someone bested your arrogant self! That's all you Saiyans are, arrogant! Foolish!" the witch fused Kai continued to rant under his breath as he climbed out of the crater.

Blushing slightly, Kibito Kai shook his head apologetically at Goku. "I don't think now is the time for speculation. You two should head back to Earth and keep the others on their toes..." he looked down at his feet and sighed. "I'm not so relaxed knowing Lord Beerus is down there with Bardock, Vegeta, _or_ Trunks. You know how they all get a little mouthy from time to time..."

The remaining trio in the crater levitated until they were back on the short grass of the Kai World. Elder Kai's rambling faded away against Goku's laughter. He gave his son a light punch on his muscular shoulder and winked. "If we go back, I'm not going to join the part right away. I think I'm gonna wait and see if anyone fights Beerus! That way, I'll know how to change my strategy!"

Gohan slapped himself in the forehead. "Dad... You never change, you know that?" the son frowned when his father just snickered in response. "What the heck am I suppose to tell Bulma?"

"Eh," Goku shrugged and placed a hand on his oldest son's back. Two fingers soon pressed against his forehead. "I'm sure you'll think of something! You're _much_ smarter than me, after all!"

"DAD!"

Supreme Kai sweatdropped once the two Saiyans had disappeared in a fragment. He glanced at Elder Kai, who seemed to believe the world was going to end the moment they met with each other again. He looked up at the sky and sighed. "I hope my ancestor is wrong... Good luck, Earth. You're going to need it."

* * *

"Do you hear that!?" Goten whispered, crouched against the wall of Capsule Corporation's outrageously enormous storage unit. "It sounds like... burglars!"

On the other side of the door, Trunks was in the same position and pointed a finger proudly at his chest. "And? What are they gonna do!? They must be pretty idiotic burglars to come to the home of the strongest Saiyan alive!"

Goten's frown immediately turned into his trademark grin. "Yeah! I guess your dad _is_ pretty strong!"

Trunks looked at him under hooded eyelids. "I was talking about me, you dope. Come on, let's sneak attack 'em!"

"Right!"

The dangerous duo nodded, and the messy-haired one of the bunch knocked the door down with a single touch of his index finger. Once the wooden material had collapsed to the cold tiles, Trunks and Goten blinked their eyes at the three individual screams being heard. They tilted their heads as they observed the burglars. One was a dog-like creature, another was a dark haired girl, and the one holding a bunch of Dragon Balls in his arms was...

"A monkey?" Trunks looked at the short, childlike being and then at his best friend who shrugged. "What does a monkey want with the Dragon Balls?"

"YOU FOOL!" the monkey spat, carelessly dropping the orange orbs due to his rage. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MONKEY!? I AM EMPEROR PILAF, MOST FEARED-"

"Look, I don't care who you are!" the lavender-haired one waved him off, enraging him more. "What are you three doing in here? This is private property."

The blue one took a deep breath to calm his nerves while gesturing for the dog beside him to pick up the fallen Dragon Balls. "Uh... Well, we're friends with the boy who lives here! We were trying to throw him a little... eh..."

"Surprise...party?" the girl offered, and her partner gladly took it.

"Ah, yes! A surprise party!"

Trunks narrowed his blue eyes, watching the dog holding one of the bingo prizes clumsily in his arms. "You guys _aren't_ my friends."

The group let out a yelp before huddling together. Trunks rolled his eyes at their pathetic attempt to devise yet another plan of escape. The blue one was the first to separate, with his little goons smiling nervously at the boys in front of them. "Well, you see...eh..."

While the apparent leader racked his brains to say something clever, the girl looked up from her shoes to focus on the boy who hadn't yet spoken. Her pupils grew three sizes large while memories of her younger days, quite strangely when she was older than now, flash through her mind until it made her tremble in fear. With a shaky pale hand, she tugged on the sleeve of her leader. "B-Boss... Doesn't that kid look...familiar?"

"Oh, no! You're right, Mai!" the dog's voice quivered. "It's... HIM!"

Goten tilted his head in the most innocent way he could. "What the heck are they talking about, Trunks!? They look like our moms just walked through the..." The messy haired child quickly jumped around to make sure his mother wasn't standing in the doorway. He breathed a sigh of relief at the emptiness and shrugged. "Ah well, I'm gonna say hi to them!"

"Whatever floats your boat, dude."

The son of Goku cleared his throat and held his head up confidently. He strutted towards the trembling trio, whose teeth were beginning to clatter. The messy-haired boy came to a pause only inches away and smiled warmly. "Hi, I'm-"

"AHHHHHH!"

"What the...?" Goten looked over his shoulder as the strange children took off, dropping the Dragon Balls on the tiles as they made their escaped. Trunks and Goten peered out the door to find that the blue one and the dog had vanished, but the girl remained with her back facing them. With a small twitch of her shoulder, she pivoted around and jogged back to Trunks with her small boots.

"...Here," she muttered with a face pink as roses, and her blank bangs flew up for a minute as she dug a diamond out of her green jacket. "I didn't mean to take this..."

Once Trunks accepted the expensive mineral, the young girl hurried back to where her partners had gone. She gave the future heir of Capsule Corporations a look over her shoulder one last time, and in that brief second Trunks noticed her eyes were brighter than the orange orbs on the floor.

"Wow..."

"I wonder what that was all about," Goten laughed with his hands on his sides. "Do you actually know her!? Come on, you don't have to lie to me!"

Flustered, Trunks sweatdropped and ran a hand through his hair while laughing his way through his lie. "Well... of course I know her! She's my main squeeze."

Goten's eyes widened in shock and admiration. "What!? No way! That's so totally awesome!"

"Yup," Trunks continued to laugh nervously while holding his head up high. Heck, if he was going to claim someone as his first girlfriend, it might as well be the first cute girl he's ever noticed! One day he just woke up and that gender didn't repulse him anymore. "We hold hands when her father's not looking!"

"Sooo awesome..."

The two left the unoccupied bingo tournament prizes behind. Goten was too busy badgering Trunks with questions, and Trunks was too busy coming out with lies that they never noticed only six Dragon Balls lay on the floor.

* * *

Vegeta got himself into a fighting stance just in case Beerus decided to go for him after eliminating Bardock. Truth be told, he had grown fond of the scarred loudmouth clown, but he was warned multiple times about the god's attitude.

Now, he was just making a jackass out of himself.

Lucy had won the fight, leaving Bardock's face slightly bloody as she scurried to rest by Beerus' feet. The god had lifted his finger yet again, reminding the monkey-tailed Saiyan of Freeza's SuperNova. He closed his eyes tightly, remembering his vow that he would never have something like that happen again to his home. He swallowed his spit, symbolizing his pride he had to give up for now. There was no such thing as a winner in a losing game.

"Lord Beerus..." Bardock cursed himself in his mind at the terminology, never wanting to call someone 'lord' again. He reopened his eyes and focused on the gold collar around his neck. "You can't kill me because... I'm the only one that knows about the Super Saiyan God."

"WHAT!?" Vegeta snapped, while Beerus raised an eyebrow.

"You, monkey man, know of my premonition?" he chuckled darkly and lowered his finger. He observed Bardock's orbs, and his smirk grew wider realizing there was some truth, albeit fear, reflecting in them. "Well, that's surprising. Your son was clueless."

"There you losers are!" Bulma shouted while Vegeta cringed. The growing belly of hers was still small, allowing her to wear her tight purple dress for perhaps the last time in years. Bardock looked behind her and sighed in relief seeing Gohan, knowing that everything must have ended alright - at least, Kakarot and him being alive.

Vegeta mouthed a 'what-the-hell-are-you-doing-here' to his wife, who just waved him off. Whis smiled at the dainty woman, and Beerus momentarily stopped his questioning of Bardock. "Prince, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Yeah, _prince_!" Bulma glared. "You can be out in the back hanging with your friends but you can't say hi to your wife on her birthday!"

"Wife?" Beerus chuckled, and offered the human his hand. "Vegeta, how could you be so rude?"

"BULMA, LORD BEERUS, LORD BEERUS, BULMA!" Vegeta hastily said, shoving his wife to the side to leave after she shook hands with both Whis and Beerus.

"Sorry about my _husband_ and this lame _grandfather_ ," Bulma stuck her nose up at Vegeta, whose hands and eyes twitched in response. Gohan was standing protectively in front of Bardock, embarrassing him and making him look like some sort of troubled child. "You two just come with me and enjoy the party! Everyone will get a kick out of knowing Vegeta actually has friends!"

Whis snickered in response while Beerus placed his hands behind his back politely. The attendant sniffed the air and sighed. "It smells absolutely _heavenly_. I would greatly appreciate it if you brought us to the food first!"

"Of course!" Bulma beamed, and waved for the humanoid to follow her. They left Beerus in the dust, who was taking his time with small steps while the Saiyans waited anxiously for him to leave the backyard. The purple feline looked over his shoulder at Bardock and smirked.

"What you said interests me. Bring me my Super Saiyan God once I'm done having Earthly fun, and I'll owe you a life. Fair enough?"

Vegeta and Gohan turned their bodies so they could look at the monkey-tailed Saiyan. "What's this about, Gramps?" Gohan blinked. "You know about the Super Saiyan God?"

"Yes," the prince's eyes narrowed. "Do tell."

Ignoring the two, Bardock steadied his gaze on Beerus' wicked yellow orbs that seemed to be taunting him. He clenched and released his fists multiple times before the words escaped his tongue. "Yeah, yeah. You'll get your Super Saiyan God. Just go enjoy your party."

The God of Destruction flashed the oldest Saiyan the peace sign before strolling through the grass in the direction of the food tables. Lucy, the treacherous fiend, immediately followed. Bardock dropped to the ground, landing on his knees and trying to catch his breath. Gohan knelt down and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Gramps? Were you just trying to save your hide or were you being serious?"

Vegeta growled under his breath and kicked a clump of dirt in Bardock's direction. "My bet's on the idiot knew about this Super Saiyan God business since his vision of Beerus and never told us like the snake he is!"

"Vegeta, please!" Gohan glared up at the angry prince and frowned. "I'm sure he has his reasons!"

"Tch," the flame-haired Saiyan crossed his arms over his chest and turned his back on the pitiful family. Gohan shook his head and helped his grandfather back up to his feet. Bardock gently shoved him away, not wanting to get sentimental.

"The reason why I never told you was because neither of you are the Super Saiyan God," Bardock kicked a single rock and glared down at his red and navy wristbands. "I didn't want some stupid competition breaking out. Kakarot is the one."

Vegeta opened his mouth to protest, but Gohan blurted his confusions out first. "But...that can't be right. Dad got his butt kicked on the Kibito Kai's planet. I dunno what a Super Saiyan God looks like, but he definitely didn't seem like one to me."

"Exactly, Gohan!" the prince scowled at the scarred fighter but was speaking to the grandson. "You took the words right out of my mouth. Kakarot is no...god! If anything, the one that comes closest to a god is me!"

Bardock closed his eyes tightly when he felt a headache start up. Previously when this happened, the visions of the future would occur. As much as he hated the curse that came with it, he almost wished it never disappeared. "Kakarot was the god in my final vision, I am absolutely sure of that. He's just not... born yet."

"Born!?" Vegeta pushed Gohan away from Bardock and took his place, nearly screaming in his face. How many secrets had this clown been hiding!? "What the hell do you mean, 'not born yet'!?"

"Look... A lot of things have gone wrong with that vision and I just wasn't sure," Bardock finally looked up at them, looking earnestly sorry. "Gine, myself, and Tarble were never part of this. Pan wasn't born yet. Your wife wasn't pregnant. It's just been fucked up from the start."

Gohan tried again to touch his grandfather's shoulder, and this time he let it remain. "Come on, let's go out there and enjoy the party while we can. We'll get to that God stuff when Beerus asks for it. Who knows how much time we have left to enjoy ourselves?"

"Way to add that in the end," Vegeta scoffed and brushed passed the two. "You morons can do whatever the hell you want. I'm going to keep my eyes on the rest of these idiots and make sure they don't piss off Beerus."

The prince said it with such confidence as he strolled by, but had a sickening feeling in his stomach they'd be the ones to ruin everything.

* * *

"It's about time you guys showed up!" Videl smiled brightly at her husband as he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. Pan received a noogie from her great-grandfather as the table of her family began to fill up.

"Sorry about that," Gohan said apologetically, and eyed a mug that was sitting on the table top. "Whoa... Is this for me?"

Chi-Chi winked and slid the glass further in her son's direction. "We were all talking about it, and decided you deserve a drink or two. Just don't let your father-in-law have any."

Gohan chuckled nervously while pulling the mug close to him. He pointed with a finger on his free hand at the afro-haired man making figure-8's in the sky. "I think it's a little too late for that."

Bardock rolled his eyes while putting an arm around Gine's shoulder. He glanced at the taller of the two Nameks standing in the grass. "Why the fuck did you teach him how to fly!? It's ruining it for the rest of us."

"I didn't teach him anything!" Piccolo snapped, turning red while doing so. Chi-Chi and Videl giggled while he tried awkwardly clearing his throat. "I don't know who taught him how to fly, that's something your son would do... By the way, where is Goku? I thought he would've come back with Gohan."

Shaking his head at the obvious subject change, Bardock tapped his fingers against the table top and looked at his grandson. "Good question."

Beginning to sweatdrop, Gohan lifted the heavy mug off the table and began downing it. Within a few minutes, the glass had emptied and Videl's eyes widened at the speed of his thirst. "Well, would ya look at that! Better get some more!" The father managed to leave the inquisitive family before he could snitch on his father. If he was as close by as he promised, he would have heard everything about the Super Saiyan God ritual and all that business. If they needed him, he'd show up. Gohan knew he would.

Videl sighed as she watched her husband run to the keg. Pan was falling asleep in her lap, having trained all morning with her daddy and grandpa in another world. "Well, it is a party after all," the black-haired beauty smiled and looked at the faces around the table. Her expression turned downwards when she noticed the miniature Goku was nowhere to be seen. "Has anyone seen Goten?"

Bardock stretched in his seat, pretending to look around for Goten but settling his eyes on the deadly visitors from above. Whis and Beerus were fawning over sushi platters and chatting with the birthday girl about something inaudible. The scarred one shook his head, disbelieving that a God of Destruction could act so...normal. The prince was nearby, hiding behind a tree and making sure his pregnant wife wouldn't say something insulting and get her head blown off.

"Don't worry about the kid," he finally said, bringing his attention back to Videl. "He went off somewhere with Trunks."

"Hey, guys! I want you to meet someone!"

"Speak of the devil," Bardock and the rest of the Son family glanced over their shoulders to see Trunks, Goten, and a girl jogging towards them. "Where did you find _her_?"

Trunks glared at his prodigal grandfather to silence his rude mouth. "Guys, I want you to meet Mai! She's my...girlfriend." The two young ones blushed at the word, while Chi-Chi, Gine, and Videl swooned over the cuteness of it all. Piccolo and Bardock frowned, prepared to state their indifference until Gohan came stumbling over, empty mug in hand. They were unaware as to how much he'd been drinking.

"Ha! I get it!" the father laughed stupidly, bending down so he was equal in height to Mai and Trunks. He placed his hands on their small shoulders, and Mai turned her nose up at the stench of his breath. Besides that, she truly missed the times when she was legal to drink. " _Mai_ girlfriend! Ha!"

"Oh, Gohan..." Videl groaned, holding the still sleeping Pan tighter to her chest. "How many times did you refill that mug!?"

The husband stood up straight and released the children. He flung the mug backwards while raising ten fingers high in the air. "I dunno...About three!"

The sound of clashing glass silenced the noisy yard of Capsule Corporations. The DJ stopped playing the music, the chefs halted their cooking, and all conversations came to an end. Bardock got to his feet, looking around the estate to see where the mug had landed. It wasn't until he saw the shards by the feet of Lord Beerus that his heart rate sky-rocketed.

The very moment the glass had collided with Beerus' head, the god dropped his chopsticks to the ground. His fingers that were holding it began to tremble, and in the background of everyone's ears they could hear Gohan whistling. Slowly, Beerus rose from his chair with his back facing the drunken hybrid. "That was a _very_ dangerous move _._

"Shit," Bardock grumbled, and protectively put himself in front of Gohan who kept dancing behind him. "Kid, for as smart as you are, I can't believe what an idiot you can be!"

"Well," he hiccuped. " _That's_ not very nice!"

Panicked, Bardock looked by the tree to where Vegeta was before and noticed he had left. He growled lowly under his breath, grabbing his eldest grandson by the collar of his dress shirt to keep him still. "That fucking asshole ran away!"

Trunks and Goten lined themselves up beside Bardock, with Piccolo soon joining. Keeping a steady eye on the increasingly angered god, Trunks tugged on Bardock's pant leg. "So that's the Beerus guy, huh? He doesn't look that tough to me... We can handle him, together!"

"Yeah!" Goten urged. "You just say when, like when we fought Majin Buu together!"

"No," Piccolo answered for Bardock, keeping his eyes locked on the god. "This isn't a job for us. We need a miracle..."

"HOLD IT!"

"Huh...?"

The party goers of Capsule Corporation, including Whis and Beerus, were forced to look at the bright spotlights suddenly created on the stage Bulma had set up earlier. The hostess, however, was sitting on her personalized throne and raising an eyebrow at the person doing her job.

"...Vegeta?"

"The sideshow is over! Now it's time for the main event!" the prince of all Saiyans was wearing the scariest, biggest smile that any of them had ever seen. In fact, it was a first. The husband of the birthday girl was pointing at the DJ to start some sort of music while Bardock and Piccolo began to sweatdrop.

"What the fuck is he doing?"

"I don't know," Chi-Chi whispered from the table. "But I'm kinda scared."

"BINGO!" Vegeta began clapping his hands and tapping his feet across the stage. Bulma raised her hands in the air and began cheering for him, while Trunks slapped himself in the face.

"Ah, Dad...What are you doing?"

Krillin looked over his shoulder at the table behind him and laughed. "Hey, I think he's been drinking more punch than Gohan!"

"EARTH IS A FUN PLACE TO BE-O, THE FOOD IS TASTY TOO, YUM! LET'S GO PLAY-O, LET'S BE FRIENDS-O, FUN TIME BINGO! TIME TO PLAY SOME BINGO!"

Once the Song and Dance man had finished his routine, nothing could be heard by Bulma's clapping. Whis looked over at the unamused Beerus. "Well, that was...interesting."

"Yes, he sings almost as bad as you."

"No need to be hurtful."

Bardock sighed in relief as he watched the two get up to fill their plates up again. Seeing how Beerus had suddenly forgot about the little mug incident, it was becoming clear to him that Vegeta pulled that embarrassing stunt to save their asses. "Nice looking out, prince," the scarred fighter spoke aloud as Vegeta appeared in front of them. Bulma had gone up to the stage and began drawing numbers. "Just don't ever do that again."

"Shut the fuck up, you dog!" Vegeta blushed, and glanced behind Bardock to see the one who caused him to do it. "Can someone get that little moron back to normal?"

"Don't worry," Videl smiled apologetically at the prince, but was trying her hardest not to make fun of him. "He snaps out of it pretty quickly, must be that Saiyan in him. Just give him a few minutes."

Gohan had fallen asleep on the grass during Vegeta's routine, and Bardock was going to have to take Videl's word that he'd wake up sober again. With his son goofing off somewhere, they needed him alert and ready.

As if reading his mind, the prince grabbed Bardock tightly by the shoulders and raised his voice. "Look, I'm getting sick and tired of having to control these idiots! That fatass Buu ate all the pudding, so I had to make some and serve it to him like a...slave! Let's just make me a god and get this started!"

"What!?" Bardock seethed, and pushed Vegeta away. "No fucking way! Kakarot-"

"That's exactly what I was about to ask you for!" Beerus' voice caused the group to whip around in fear to see him standing there smiling smugly. He didn't seem to care about the mug-thrower on the grass taking a nap. "I'm done with this party. I want my god."

"Damn you, Beerus," Bardock muttered as quietly as he could under his breath. He looked at the green tips of his boots while he spoke. "Could we have a few minutes while I explain the ritual to them?"

"You know, I'm still rather curious as to how you know that information," Beerus smiled peculiarly but turned his back to allow Bardock his few minutes. "But I guess those answers will come in time."

Bardock made sure that the God of Destruction was being reasonable, and then motioned for Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, and Gine to follow him a few feet away. On their way to the bushes that blocked them from the sight of others, Vegeta kicked Gohan to wake up. The father immediately jumped to his feet, alert and prepared.

"Whoa, what happened guys!? One minute I was talking to you about my dad, the next-"

"There's no time for that," Bardock ordered. He looked at the five pairs of eyes around him, knowing that they were the requirements for a god to be born. "Look, the six of us need to hold hands and lend our power to only one person. As far as I'm concerned, we just need to be good-hearted and have Saiyan blood. Vegeta's pregnant wife, Tarble, Pan... any of them could substitute for us but I don't want to get them involved. I really wish Kakarot were here, but let's get this started so-"

"One minute, Saiyan!"

"Damn," Vegeta growled. "So we need to get this right the first time. You all have to give me your power!"

"Wait a minute," Gine pouted. "Why do you get to be the Super Saiyan God? Why not my Bardock, or Gohan!? Even Goten or Trunks!?"

The flame-haired one began fighting with Bardock's wife and listing reasons why he deserved it more, while Trunks sighed and eyed a certain pig in between the bushes searching for something. A devious smile crossed his face as he pulled Goten close to him.

"Hey, don't you remember Krillin saying something about Oolong being able to shape-shift?"

Goten thought for a minute and nodded rapidly. "Yeah! Why, what's up? You got a plan?"

"I'm gonna have that pig over there give us more time!" Trunks winked and turned around to tap an annoyed Bardock on the shoulder while his father and Gine continued to argue. "Uhh, Grandpa Bardock? I was just wondering... What does a Super Saiyan God look like again?"

Bardock sighed. "Red hair, red eyes, muscle mass almost completely gone. Happy?"

"Yes, sir!"

Trunks watched as Bardock stepped in to control his wife while Gohan tried calming Vegeta down. The lavender-haired boy put Goten on guard duty while sneaking over to the pink-skinned creature. "Hey, Oolong! I'm gonna offer you the castle from the tournament if you do a favor for me!"

Oolong's eyes lit up brighter than any star Trunks had seen. "What!? You mean it!? Oh boy, Trunks, you're the man! What is it?"

Goten chuckled sneakily as he watched Oolong and Trunks exchanged words. The pig was becoming increasingly frightened with the plan, but Trunks' promise of more riches seemed to be strong enough motivation. Once Oolong agreed, Trunks came jogging back and began counting down the seconds in his head. They seemed to reach an agreement of giving his father the power while he was concocting his plan.

"...Kakarot?" Before the six Saiyans could hold hands, Goku came strolling by the stunned group with his hair and eyes appearing as if they were on fire. Chi-Chi held a hand to her heart and blinked.

"Goku...? What... happened to your muscles!? You're so skinny!"

Goku continued to walk his way towards Beerus, not bothering looking at a single person as he passed. Vegeta raised an eyebrow while looking at the abnormally terrified facial features of his rival. "Hey... Bardock!" he whispered harshly, gripping the Saiyan by the collar. "What the hell's going on here!? I thought you said you need to go through that stupid ritual to become a god!"

"Yeah," Gohan scratched the back of his head. "And I thought you couldn't sense the ki of a god... Dad's power is extremely low..."

"Uh," Trunks chuckled nervously and smacked Goten's back to keep his quiet. "Maybe it's just a trick of his! You know, that ol' silly Goku. C'mon, c'mon! Let's get another Super Saiyan God going here!"

Ignoring the desperate kids, Bardock glared at his son as he paused directly in front of Beerus. The God of Destruction's forehead veins were becoming more apparent by the minute, and a sickening feeling was swelling in his stomach. What the hell was going on here? Someone was playing an awfully dangerous joke, and Beerus looked like he was going to snap any minute...

"H-Hello, BeBe! It's me... Goku the God!"

"What the _fuck_ , Pig!?" Bardock yelled in a high-pitch tone from his fear, not expecting this little obstacle. Only one creature in this planet had a voice like that and it wasn't his son. Trunks and Goten gulped, silently vowing with their eyes to keep it a secret that this was their plan.

"You all have deliberately mocked me," Beerus' eyes had a red glowing tint surfacing from somewhere within, looking so frightening to the point Oolong's tremors caused him to turn back to his regular form. The pig quickly ran behind Bardock so he was hidden from sight despite the scarred warrior's protest. The messy haired great grandfather tensed up when the god began to ascend to the sky. An eerie purple glow surrounded him and darkened what was once a beautiful blue sky. "And you _all_ must pay your dues."

* * *

 **A/N** : Oh, you guys know how much I hate waiting to update :-( I remember for Walking Towards the Sunset I updated like almost every other day. Damn school. I appreciate the reviews you all have given me, honestly I hate receiving an email saying I got one because I always feel like it's going to be some flame hehe. As for messages, I'm so sorry I have totally slacked on replying but I'll get to everyone by tomorrow! I'm finishing all my assignments early so I have some spare time this week - hopefully, I'll be able to get another chapter up within a few days.

I TURNED 21 ON THE 16TH! :D My Halloween one-shot is out now called **_Off We Go A-Haunting_**. Horrible, right? I love it. I forgot to stamp it with a 'complete' awhile ago so I think people believe it's going to continue... nah. ;-)


	11. Now That's A Super Saiyan God!

**A/N** : I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATENESS OF THIS! :-( It sucks so much because every time I think I have free time to do what I love best, something always pops up and classes demand busy work or I get called in to cover someone's shift. I hate, hate, hate taking so long to write this story when all of my ideas are sprawled out on paper just waiting for me to bring it to life. :/

I hope my readers are still out there, somewhere! I need to start replying and reviewing the stories I love that have been updated but school just destroyed me :-( Break will be here soon, so I know faster updates will arrive. Thanks for being so patient guys :-(

 **Fighting is going on here, but it's more dialogue/point of views going on for the purpose of not repeating something that we've been use to for so long. BoG and Dragonball Super have completely drained me of this arc, so please forgive me for the lackluster action. It will improve in the next chapter, since that's all we really have going for us then.**

Enjoy!

* * *

This was the exact reason Beerus the Destroyer needed the Super Saiyan God.

Everyone and everything else was just... _boring_.

The Namekian went down with a single flick, the blonde woman was slapped away as if she were some useless gnat, and the triclops definitely failed the worthy adversary category. All of these... _Earthlings_ did.

The fat pink one named Majin Buu that Whis had mentioned earlier caused him to yawn as he twirled him around by the antenna using chopsticks. For crying out-loud, the blob that damn near killed everyone on this planet only tried to attack when Beerus caused his food to drop on the ground! The God of Destruction sweatdropped as he threw Buu into Bulma's large pool.

He couldn't blame the Majin. How many times had he blown up a planet for screwing up his food?

Beerus stared down at his bare feet, suddenly irked as he realized he had completely forgotten to wear shoes. He could very well kill that damn pig hiding in the bushes, but he wanted to save him for last. He remembered that planet full of shape-shifters, and there's a reason why it doesn't exist anymore. Annoying little things, they were. The purple-skinned cat-like God cracked his neck and focused in on the one group that had yet to try their hand against him before this planet would disappear forever.

Saiyans. As far as he knew, two of them were never suppose to be here. That _woman_ and that mouthy one. He revealed his fangs briefly, wondering how in the hell he knew about the Super Saiyan God when the others didn't. Had he... had he witnessed the fight before, being a former time traveler? Or...

His yellow orbs widened, observing the tail once more wrapped tightly around his waist. The hand of the monkey man went up and smacked the children upside their heads.

Beerus' eyes returned to normal, clicking his tongue in disappoint. The monkey man couldn't be the one. His ki was that of a common Saiyan.

Still, this child-and-cat abusing Saiyan had the information he needed, and had no choice but to keep him alive until he got what he wanted. His impatience was growing while Whis stuffed his greedy little mouth with Earthly goods - perhaps the only good part of this horrible place - and the Saiyans were too far into their argument to notice that the little guardian Namek was healing their fallen friends.

He growled lowly under his breath, knowing very well how stubborn these Saiyans can get. He needed his Super Saiyan God badly to shake off the disappointment he so constantly lived with. He needed a _challenger_.

Landing gently and quietly on the grass, Beerus took one step at a time until the Saiyans got into protective stances. The trembling children of the group, outgrowing their fear after receiving another smack from the monkey man and Prince Vegeta, began performing that one heinous dance from the Metamorans. The dainty female disappeared behind the monkey man, occasionally peeking over his shoulder. The monkey man himself had a fire in his eyes, resembling his son more than ever. The grandson and the prince were practically linked to his sides, seemingly forgetting about their earlier quarrel.

Before the monkey man could open his mouth, Beerus appeared behind him and snatched the woman by her shoulder. The messy-haired one choked on his words, looking at the arm of his terrified wife being clutched tightly by the god.

"HEY!" the newly fused boy screamed, pointing an angry finger directly at the male of the pair as some ki began to glow on the tip. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MY GRANDMA!? HURT HER AND YOU DIE!"

"Gotenks!" the prince snapped, yet tried to remain neutral. "Calm down before you do something you'll regret!"

Beerus frowned when the fused child grudgingly accepted their half-father's request. The destroyer himself had no clue as to how a Super Saiyan God is born, but there's a strong possibility that the divine power of a god laid dormant inside one of them. Begging wasn't particularly his cup of tea when it came to getting his way, and he didn't quite feel like killing anyone yet. Without completely releasing the squirming woman, Beerus loosened his grip on her arm.

The mate of this woman was silent compared to the others with the exception of Goku's son, who was looking around frantically to make sure his own wife hadn't been snatched. The monkey man's fire continued to grow, intensifying Beerus' interest in bringing the flames completely out.

The god in his dreams was on fire.

"I'm going to pretend to flick you on the neck," he whispered into the woman's ear, causing her to jump and the monkey man to growl. "And you throw your head back like I hurt you."

"Why would I do that!?" she hissed, but her lips quivered as Beerus' eyes darkened. Her two seconds of courage disappeared as soon as she remembered she was talking to the God of Destruction.

"If you don't, I'll _really_ flick you on the neck."

She gulped. "So... that means you'll _really_ hurt me?"

"I'll kill you."

"Oh... that's much worse."

"Indeed."

XX

* * *

Goten could only remember being frightened this much one time in his life, when he believed his mother had been murdered by Majin Buu. The way he was feeling now was much, much worse - as if he was witnessing the world end and could do absolutely nothing about it. His boots felt like they weight a thousand tons each!

The darkened clouds were forming, and the scary white hot rage that was Beerus was the leader of Judgment Day. Trunks' plan had drastically failed; the lavender-haired boy beside him had seemingly sealed their fate.

The messy-haired child twisted his body towards him and donned the worst kind of pout. "Thanks a lot, Trunks! You're the reason we're gonna die!"

Trunks looked exactly like his mother when someone called her haircut tacky. "What!? Are you freakin' serious, Goten!? If Oolong wasn't such a coward, we- OUCH!"

Goten was hunched over and crying as well, rubbing the sore spot on his head that was just whacked. The pre-teen glared up at his grandfather and sniffed twice. "What the heck was that for, Grandpa!? You should have knocked Trunks' head off, not mine!"

Bardock looked up and cringed as he saw Piccolo drop unconscious to the ground. Since the Senzu beans were still being harvested, they were lucky to have the Guardian of Earth there. The short Namek ran from person to person, healing all those brave enough to attack first while Beerus seemed to be growing impatient. Ignoring the tears of his grandson and prodigal grandson, Bardock instead turned his attention to the bickering prince and Gine.

"Our guys are practically getting killed out there, and you two are _still_ going on about this bullshit!?" Bardock pinched the bridge of his nose after hearing his wife whine about Gohan being a god instead of the prince, who answered with a snarl and glared up at the monkey-tailed warrior.

"It's not my fault those idiots think they have a shot. I don't know how many times I have to warn them Beerus isn't the one to tangle with," Vegeta brushed some invisible dirt off his shoulder. "At least, until they're a Super Saiyan God. Which is highly unlikely for _those_ people."

"Uncle Tarble is one of those people," Trunks interjected, raising a finger in the air. "He could be the god."

Vegeta hooded his eyes. "I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."

Gohan sighed in frustration while hearing Bulma's scream in the background as Majin Buu fell into the pool and nearly covered the backyard with chlorine water. His daughter, wife, and mother were nearby, and here he was standing with the strongest group of fighters who didn't seem to want to do anything but prove a point. "I'm going against all my lectures of learning not to pick a fight when I know I'm going to lose, but if you guys want to keep arguing, I'm going to fight him the way I am now."

"No, Gohan!" Bardock ordered sharply, the very sound of his strict voice causing Trunks and Goten to straighten up. How many times had they heard that voice in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber? "...It's unanimous. I guess we'll have to make Vegeta our god."

The prince smirked against Gine's huff. "I think I like the sound of that. Now, hurry up!"

Bardock tried not to look at the betrayed expression on his wife's face as they began holding hands again. He opened his mouth to whisper something to her, but was interrupted quicker than one could blink.

"OH NO! HE'S COMING THIS WAY!"

"Dammit!" Bardock released Gine's hand immediately and whipped around. He felt her slither behind him, using him as some sort of shield while Vegeta and Gohan stood beside him. The scarred-warrior looked down in disgust as Trunks and Goten appeared to be trembling. "HEY! This isn't the time to be acting like a bunch of pansy asses! Piccolo bought us some time and we wasted it. Just do the damn fusion!"

"But Grandpa-"

Goten winced feeling the familiar hand of his grandfather against his skull, while Trunks was slapped by his father. The boys sniffed away their fears, knowing full well it was their fault they were even in this situation. At least with their powers combined, they had a chance at stopping this party crashing cat.

Bardock nodded in approval as the boys began their fusion, and noticed that Beerus had stopped about five feet away to tilt his head curiously at the act. He didn't seem to very impressed by the black and lavender haired Gotenks, much less the power emerging from him. The scarred warrior tensed up. Their Gotenks had been picked and prodded at for years, developing into one of their most dangerous weapons.

And Beerus was _yawning_.

He seemed to be waiting for the warrior to speak, and Bardock tried searching his mind for the right words to say. At this point, it didn't really matter if he said something offensive. The warrior had the advantage of knowing the recipe for a Super Saiyan God. He opened his mouth.

"Alright, you little piece of-"

And closed it.

In one blink, Beerus had Gine tightly against his side. No words could escape Bardock's mouth; only incoherent noises that sounded like pain mixed with confusion. It had been so long since he'd seen his mate looking this way, looking so terrified and helpless. How did he manage to take her away from him? How in the hell could someone be that fast for Bardock not to catch him moving? His words were still lost on his tongue when Gotenks tried the first Saiyan attack on the god, but thankfully was stopped by Vegeta. His oldest grandson placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Gramps. You know he won't do anything to her. He knows you won't tell him about the Super Saiyan God..." Gohan gulped when Bardock snarled as Beerus whispered something into his grandmother's ear. "... Gramps, Graaaaamps. Look at me. Good, I can see your pupils. Anyway, he probably just told her-"

The young man froze, eyes locked with his grandfather as the sound of something hitting the ground hard filled their ears. Simultaneously, they turned around slowly to see what it was.

Bardock could hear his heart beat in his ears. His breathing had intensified, and that damn Beerus had the nerve to _smirk_ as his mate was face down on the ground. He motioned with two flicks of his index finger for the Saiyan to come forth, but instead saw three pairs of _very_ angry eyes closing in on him.

* * *

How Pan managed to escape her fretful grandmother and unusually aware mother was beyond her. All the little girl knew was that she had to get a better view of the fight going on without being seen. She crawled through the grass of Capsule Corporation's acres until she came across a good-looking tree, one tall enough and roomy enough for her viewing pleasure.

Deciding to be a normal kid for once, the girl opted to climb the tree instead of fly. She smiled at each bug she came across and didn't even feel bothered by the splinters in her hand. Her gramps Bardock always taught her that crying was for pansy asses, although she was never allowed to say the last part of that word.

The daughter of Gohan and Videl hummed a tune as she began approaching the highest branch, but paused when she noticed someone had already occupied her spot. Scowling, she scrunched her brows together. "HEY, YOU!"

"EEK!" Goku nearly fell off his branch, but wrapped his hands around it like a pull-up bar. He blinked in surprise at the sight of the angry little girl. "...Pan? What the heck are you doing here?"

"Same thing I should ask you!" the child scolded, and Goku pictured Chi-Chi's face for a minute. "Everyone's been looking for you and you're up here playing monkey!"

The hero laughed at the innocence of his granddaughter, and used one of his hands to place a finger against his lips. "Shh. I'm trying to watch how Lord Beerus fights so I can beat him. I promise I won't let anyone die."

Pan smiled fully. "Good! I wanna join you!"

Goku flung himself around until his butt was placed on the strangely strong branch, and swooped up Pan with one arm. He placed the girl on his lap and both cringed when Gotenks began getting spanked on his behind before he was tossed to the ground.

"Gosh Grandpa, that's a whole lot worse than any punishment I've ever gotten!"

" _Waaaay_ worse!"

"I thought I heard some noise up here!"

Goku and Pan screamed in unison, with the messy-haired Saiyan holding his granddaughter tightly to his chest as they observed their intruder. They laughed nervously seeing the angry face of Videl Satan looking back at them.

"H-Hey, Videl! How goes it?"

The mama narrowed her eyes. "I think little missy there forgot a mother can always sense her daughter's ki. At least this mother, anyway!" she shook her head when Pan began pouting, and then pointed an angry finger at Goku. The grandfather was trying to figure out how she could do all that pointing and blaming without falling to the ground, but saw she was levitating. Darn that Gohan. "Your sons and father are out there getting killed and you're up here laughing!?"

Goku defensively held Pan in front of him for protection and chuckled nervously. "Aw, Videl... Come on! It's not like that-"

"GOKUUUUU!"

Recognizing the voice instantaneously, Goku buried his nose into the back of Pan's neck. "Make sure you tell your Uncle Goten he has to be the man of the house now because your grandma is going to kill me."

The child sympathetically patted her grandfather on the shoulder. "It was nice knowing you, Grandpa."

Even Videl had to move out of the way for the woman scurrying up the tree trunk. She was surprisingly fast for her age, although Videl knew she'd be in the same situation as Goku if she said that. The housewife brushed all the bugs off her arms furiously once she placed herself right next to Goku and her granddaughter on the branch.

"If you think I'm going to feed a man who puts his entire family in danger, then you're dead wrong mister! You go down there right now and beat that party ruiner up!" With each word, she jabbed him on the arm. Goku frowned.

"But Cheech... I already tried that and he slaughtered me. I have to be a Super Saiyan God first!"

"I have to be a Super Saiyan God first!" Chi-Chi mocked. "Well, find out then!"

"Uhm... Grandma? Grandpa? I'm sorry but," Pan gulped, and her grandparents and mother followed the direction of her finger. "While you two were talking, that mean guy hit Aunt Bulma.."

And Uncle Vegeta didn't look happy.

* * *

"Worthless," Vegeta mumbled under his breath as he watched Bardock, Gohan, and Gotenks get beaten senselessly by Beerus. They were giving it their all, and looked like they weren't even trying to fight. "All that training was worthless. Attack all at once if you think it'll make a difference, but it won't."

Bardock, already pissed off from realizing his wife had faked the injury when he saw her crawling away sneakily, was spitting dirt and grass out of his mouth after making a crater from his fall. "Why don't you try doing something then, asshole?!"

The prince glanced up to see Gohan and Gotenks having their foreheads pounded against each other like symbols, and then set down towards him like they were paper planes and not dangerous fighters that could slaughter millions if they ever snapped.

"Tch. Fine. It's not like I have a choice after you embarrassments," Vegeta lied but turned into a Super Saiyan anyway. He was too unfocused to ascend further, hoping in some far off fantasy that the Son family scum had somehow weakened Beerus and he'd have a shot.

Of course, that was just a far off fantasy.

His fight against Lord Beerus lasted for a minute, only consisting of the god dodging each throw and ending up having him get ax-hammered to the ground just like the rest of his fallen comrades.

Vegeta tried standing straight but dropped to his knees, chuckling softly against the pain in his body while doing so. The day in, day out training he had done with his son and Kakarot's kin all these years proved to be meaningless. At least he could still have his pride knowing that the one person who could kill him now was Beerus the Destroyer, someone that not even his father had the backbone to stand up against.

He winced as he felt the cold, sharp nail of Beerus' index finger touch his forehead. The prince closed his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the images of his son and wife that he couldn't protect and anticipated death.

It never came.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Vegeta's eyes shot open to see his pregnant wife come waddling through the yard to confront the being who had destroyed her party. The prince couldn't do a damn thing except blurt out "Bulma" over and over again, his eyes focused only on her growing stomach as she approached Beerus with clenched fists.

"I've had it up to here with you! Take your little friend and _scram_!" The dreaded sound of her hand slapping the flesh of the destroyer's cheek filled a deadly quiet outdoors scene. It all grown quiet except for the gasps escaping various breaths, and Vegeta's heart pounding like a jackhammer. Beerus hadn't even looked her in the eyes when he returned the favor.

The expecting mother was sent skidding across the ground briefly before coming to a rest by the feet of Gohan. Vegeta stared at the red marks on his wife's face until his eyes began to fill with a bone-chilling hatred. He was shaking with rage, watching as Gohan lifted her unconscious body into her arms like she was a dying animal. He rose to his feet at last, no longer feeling the want or need to show the god any respect. His body was hunched over as electricity

"You...bastard..."

Beerus raised an eyebrow, at last showing some interest.

"THAT'S MY BULMAAAAAAAAAAA!" his scream erupted the same time his power did, sending the lawn chairs and tables flying while the guests dodged. Gohan held on tightly to the aforementioned woman in his arms, feeling his knees get weak when Vegeta's power up shook the ground immensely. As much as he wanted to watch what happened next, he had to find Dende before it was too late.

* * *

Goku had managed to catch all the women in the tree before Vegeta's power blew them all away. Once the explosiveness was over, Goku ignored the pulling and poking he was receiving from them and watched with widened orbs as the prince's fist connected with Beerus' jaw.

"WOW!" he exclaimed, and had to catch the women again as this time he almost knock them down. "I'm amazed! Even _I_ couldn't hit Beerus, and Vegeta just walloped him good!"

"I'll wallop you good if you don't go out there and save our sons!"

"And Bulma!"

The hero shrugged, and smiled whole-heartedly knowing there was still nothing to worry about. Vegeta was able to get a punch in; that meant they were in good standing. He gestured to a section of the large yard down below, where a young Namek was bringing the blue-haired mama back to full health. "See? He's even searching her stomach right now, look! See!? They're all smiling! It's going to be alright!"

Suspicious, Chi-Chi placed her chin on top of Goku's forehead to make sure he was telling the truth. She sighed in relief when Bardock told the scientist something, and she actually laughed at it instead of slapping him, too. "Well, that's great! Heaven forbid if-" her words were cut short when their only hope of defeating Lord Beerus had fallen despite his powerful punch.

"I've fought this planet's strongest warriors and you all bored me," she heard Beerus say and had risen in the sky. The aching prince had his wife and son rushing to his side. The god raised his arm straight up while he levitated. His purple clawed hands began forming a dark purple orb, once similar to the Spirit Bomb that defeated Kid Buu. "Now I'll give you a clean slate."

The hair rising on the back of her neck signaled Chi-Chi to take charge. She balanced herself on the branch quietly while removing herself from her husband, and resting her foot against his lower back. She made a silent prayer in her mind to give her foot the strength to kick her husband's butt out of the tree and save the world as usual.

* * *

A tumbling orange ball caught Beerus' attention, ceasing his attack. The Saiyan from Supreme Kai's planet had literally fallen from the sky, and was dusting himself off.

"Darn it, Chi-Chi!" he grumbled, raising a fist at someone in the tree. "I wanted to make a better entrance than that!"

"It's about fucking time, Kakarot!" Vegeta groaned, hurriedly getting healed by Dende before the Namek ran away from the Saiyans. It was best to stay away from the group of interest at the moment. The prince rolled his eyes when his rival flashed him the peace sign. "You're suppose to be the Super Saiyan God, aren't you!?"

Goku tilted his head. " _I_ am?"

Bardock raised an eyebrow. "He _is_?"

Gine blinked. " _You're_ not?"

"OH PLEASE JUST SHUT UP AND GIVE ME MY SUPER SAIYAN GOD!" Beerus snapped, surprising even Whis who took a sip of lemonade. To be fair, this was the most patient the attendant had ever seen his pupil. He _really_ wanted that Super Saiyan God.

Flustered, Vegeta struck out both of his hands and glared down at his white boots. "Just hurry up before I change my mind. Gohan, Trunks! Come on!"

Confused, Goku looked at his group of friends and family as they started holding hands. He had seen them trying to do this earlier before Oolong pissed off Lord Beerus, but it didn't make any sense to him. "Wait... Dad? What exactly.. How do you know this is going to work?"

Bardock smirked and held onto Gine's hand tightly. His other hand was barely tapping the prince's. "Sorry for keeping it a secret for so long, kid. It was in my final vision before Goten wished the curse away. Five pure-hearted Saiyans join hands and lend their energy to another Saiyan. In my vision and now with Vegeta's blessing, you're the chosen one."

Goku's eyes lit up while looking at the faces within the circle. Everyone but Vegeta were smiling right back at him, encouraging their hero to take on the most destructive and powerful foe they'd ever come across. "Wow," he spoke with pure gratefulness. "Thank you, guys... really." He took the hand of his father, and was trying to grab Trunks' with his other but the boy wasn't having it or Gohan's hand, either.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as Beerus could be heard groaning in the background. "I know it's disgraceful, but hold the clown's hand, son."

The boy looked over his shoulder to see Goten giving him a thumbs up, and then back at his father. "Well, Dad... I know this might not make sense, but do you think since Mom is carrying a Saiyan baby that she could take my place? It only feels right."

Bardock arched a brow. Never in his life had he expected Trunks to give up being part of something huge. The idea sounded a little far-fetched, but hopeful eyes rested on him. He closed his mind for moment, ignoring Beerus' threats to hurry up. "Yes. Videl was pregnant with Pan in my vision, and it worked with her. It should work the same with Bulma."

Trunks grinned, and yanked his mother away from the Namekian observers to take his place. Gohan moved so Bulma would be able to hold hands with Vegeta, and the power giving-and-receiving began. Vegeta had his eyes closed as he felt the energy dance through the circle, but opened them when he felt something strange. Coming from his wife's belly was a yellow aura much like his.

His daughter.

Bardock listened to the sound of Goten and Trunks cheering them on to calm his busy mind. How many years had he lived with the knowledge that his son was going to be a god? How long had he lived in anticipation for Lord Beerus, and how much time had he spent training only to realize he had a long, long way to go? Besides a few minor technicalities, everything in his vision was coming to fruition. His son rose up into the sky thanks to all the light from within their hearts, a bright blue light surrounding him.

The light had faded and the observers were no longer blind. The Kakarot Bardock knew wasn't there.

In his place was a Saiyan with red hair and eyes, generating a power that only one person could see.

And he was actually smiling.

"Now _that's_ a Super Saiyan God!"

* * *

 **A/N** :

Before anyone gets upset, I have to tell you my reasoning as to why I kept it cannon and had Goku be the first Super Saiyan God. (FIRST, there will be others later I promise). Some of my reviewers told me that having him fight Beerus is a huge part of his character development. He loses his very first fight, and it gives him room to grow. I think it's crucial at this point to have him start realizing that, you know? I just hope nobody is upset :/

There will definitely be more Super Saiyan Gods, don't worry. I just want to get through the Battle of Gods arc because I'm honestly exhausted of it lol. I'm sorry for this super long author's note but I haven't talked to you guys in a while so just muddle through it and you won't have one next time :-) Once I get through the BoG arc, this is how chapter 13 is going to be set up.

No spoilers here since you know I follow original stories, so BoG will end in the same way with Beerus letting everyone live. Everyone goes their separate ways training-wise, and this will carry us onto the Resurrection F arc instead of just jumping to it since that's the end of this story. All of the training will look like this:

( **SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH DB SUPER** ) Just like in DB Super, Vegeta goes with Whis to Beerus' temple for training. This goes on for six months without Goku knowing.

Gohan gets his sword and trains with his father on the Sacred World of the Kais until they learn about Vegeta's training with Whis.

Bardock and Piccolo go to the lookout and they stumble upon the time room that Mr. Popo used to train Goku as a kid. They are sent somewhere crucial in the past, and meet familiar (but younger) faces.

Goten and Trunks are visited by a stranger who looks awfully a lot like someone they know, and who has some devastating news to deliver about their future.

Already sounds like a crazy mess, doesn't it? I just needed to let you guys know because I hope it keeps you coming back. I promise it's all going to come together, but each chapter will be devoted to one of the training sessions until they start combining with one another. Ah, you guys most likely ignore my jabber but I just had to get it down because I'm so excited xD We just have to get through this arc without making it sloppy.


	12. Battle of Gods

Whis tapped his staff against the ground after watching Miss Bulma and a few other of her friends leave the party in a ship to chase after Lord Beerus and Goku. He caught the attention of the remaining group, causing them to tense up. "Oh, don't worry about me!" he smiled, and caused a projector to come out of his staff. "I'm just here to bring you guys the show. The others left before I could tell them."

The attendant nodded when Bardock's shoulders lowered. That red head-banded Saiyan had appeared in his orb more times than anyone, and the poor monkey man had no idea how much he really knew about him. "You know, they say stress kills."

"Tch."

"Why didn't you follow your son?" Whis looked around while holding his staff perfectly in place for them all to watch the fight. Bardock, Vegeta, Chi-Chi, Gine, Tarble, Gure, Videl, Buu, and Mr. Satan had all opted to stay. "Or any of you, for that matter? Did you know about my staff?"

"Uh, no, Mr. Alien, sir!" Hercule spoke first, noticing that everyone else was too shy or too nervous to say something. "I can't stand the way Bulma drives. Uh... No offense, Vegeta buddy."

The prince ignored the afro-haired man, keeping a keen eye on the screen as Kakarot and Lord Beerus collided. Whis chuckled softly and smiled at the loud-mouthed human. "Ah, yes. Hercule Satan, the man who saved the world from Cell!"

"Oh my gosh," Videl groaned, but her dad was already flexing his biceps. "No! Don't get him started!"

The white-haired humanoid turned his attention to the daughter next. "Videl Satan, wife of Son Gohan and mother of Pan. You were pretty impressive in that fight against Babidi's minion. Ugh, I always hated that mole. Glad he's in hell."

Videl blinked, not sure what to think while Bardock glared at him through his peripherals once he mentioned Babidi. "Uhm...thanks?"

"How in the hell do you know all this!?" Bardock stepped in front of Videl, blocking her from Beerus' attendant. "Does that _stick_ tell you everything!? Or can you read minds?"

"Actually, my _staff_ does contain any and all information I'll ever need," Whis spoke proudly, but gave Bardock a glare when he called his prized possession a stick. "For example, I know that you were the lone Saiyan that faced Freiza. Embarrassing loss, I know, but at least you were brave right? Or, what about that Super Saiyan transformation you keep hidden from everyone? I haven't even informed Lord Beerus about that one, yet."

"Alright," Bardock whispered harshly, noticing that Vegeta was glaring at him through his peripherals. "You can stop now."

Whis shrugged, nodding politely at Bardock's wife for having to put up with him and the same with Chi-Chi. "Tarble, I think it's very kind of Bardock to have taken you in. I see you Saiyans really love to stick together."

 _I have no clue as to why. Too much ego in one place._

The younger brother of Vegeta fiddled his hands nervously, not expecting to get noticed by the alien. He was still far too young to remember when Beerus and himself visited Planet Vegeta. "Uh, th-thank you."

Having the sense that they trusted him know, Whis let his staff remain where it was and took a seat on a lawn chair to munch on his sushi. As he chewed, he noticed Prince Vegeta wasn't looking at the screen but rather trying to sense the ki of the gods. That kind of determination would be very interesting to mold as a student, but the poor guy needed to learn how to relax first.

"Chef! More, please!"

* * *

A god.

That very title on its own would make one believe he had reached the top tier. The world's strongest warrior was encircled in a raging inferno, one that burned so strong and bright that his even _stronger_ opponent was smirking. The Super Saiyan God's silhouette revealed his muscle mass had decreased, yet this was the most powerful state he had ever been in.

His ruby eyes flickered against the flames, searching the eyes of his enemy. His family and friends were a safe distance away now, after getting over the amazement of the new transformation. The battle field of Bulma's large backyard had grown completely silent, save for the birds chirping madly as they escaped the scene before it was too late.

A wind had arrived among the silence, brushing flowers against a pair of navy boots. Goku drew his fist back, and flew across the ground to the God of Destruction. His flaming aura expanded as his shout grew. Beerus' yellow orbs widened as the Super Saiyan God's fist connected with his hand.

...His hand?

Goku blinked at the purple fingers wrapped around his alabaster knuckles. Through his peripherals, he was silently amazed that the small attack had caused them to be inside a crater.

But if it were a 'small attack', it wouldn't have done that. Yet Beerus had caught it.

Goku gritted his teeth, bringing his attention back to the face of his opponent. He could see the cat-like god was twitching in random places while holding him back, but when he spoke his voice remained as calm as ever.

"So, how does it feel to be a god?"

There was something bothering Goku that he couldn't quite place his finger on at the moment, so instead told him what he was feeling now. "It's incredible..."

Beerus' smirk grew wider, and released the fist he was holding back. The Super Saiyan God brought himself back down on his feet, at an equidistant apart. Beerus knew the look on his face all too well. It was that same burning curiosity and determination he experienced when he finally became the God of Destruction. "But you're still trying to fathom what you can do with it."

The two ascended upwards, away from the gawking eyes of the former party-goers until they were high above West City. Beerus didn't waste any time going in for the kill, and sent quick jabs to Goku's neck with the side of his strong hand. The red-haired god couldn't dodge it, but unlike what happened on the Kai's planet, he was able to withstand the pain. He hadn't realized just how frightening Beerus looked up close, with the sharpness of his teeth looking like they could tear him apart.

Still, the hits and the looks didn't faze him. He could feel the power, begin to understand the power, with each passing second. He was able to block a knee to the face, but was too proud of himself for doing so he hadn't noticed Beerus' head until it collided with his.

The God of Destruction shook his head while following the falling body into the busy city, but nodded in approval when said body quickly whipped around to punch him in the chest. Beerus flicked his wrist out of the way, and held onto it while roundhousing the Saiyan's neck. Goku surprised him by kicking his leg straight out in his abdomen, sending him towards a skyscraper. The graceful fighter moved out of the way before colliding into it, and led the Saiyan out of the city.

"You're finally getting it," Beerus mused, and then cocked his head to the side when he noticed his opponent didn't look too happy. "What's the matter? You seem disappointed."

Goku looked at his still flame-encircled hand, clenching it twice and furrowing his red brows. "Honestly, yeah. I spent my whole life trying to get stronger and stronger, and now... the strength I have comes from something I can't achieve on my own, and it's really... _bothering me_!"

The anger of this realization caused the Super Saiyan God to connect fists with Beerus once again, causing giant circles in the sky as they collided over and over again. The purple-skinned deity growled, and revealed his teeth while holding onto Goku. "Why'd you agree to it, then?" His foot pressed hard against Goku's chest, causing him to whimper slightly and fly backwards. "If you can't even be happy that you have a little family willing to help you become a god!"

Goku lowered his fists to his sides, and looked Beerus dead in the eyes. "Even if it's not my own strength, I have a chance to beat you."

The deity smirked. "You seem to be addicted to battle."

The Saiyan returned it. "I get that a lo-"

He didn't have a chance to finish. Beerus shook his head at the vulnerability caused by his cockiness, and dug his fist right into Goku's torso. The messy-haired hero spit out blood, and then received a blow to the top of his head from Beerus' clasped hands. The God of Destruction once more had to follow the flaming body deep into a wooded area, and shook his head all the while.

If this Super Saiyan God ever wanted to stand a chance against him, he was going to have to learn to stop being so relaxed. A certain attendant of his reminded him of this centuries ago...

* * *

"Oh, where the hell are they going now!?" a pregnant Bulma demanded, pounding her fist against her steering wheel. The fighting gods sent her through West City, a forest, above a cave, into a canyon, and now they had disappeared underground. "Can't they just duke it out in one place!?"

Roshi adjusted his glasses as he looked out the window shield of Capsule Corporations patented flying vehicles. "I can't feel it, but I know there's an outstanding power down in those rocks. If only I could keep up with those crazy guys..." The old man felt a tugging on his shirt sleeve and looked down to see a young girl tilting her head.

"Master Roshi, how come we can't feel their power!? I can sense the ki of everybody expect them! Not even Grandpa now!"

The turtle hermit's eyes widened, and he let out a chuckle. "My gosh! Look at you talking about like one of these bums. Your father must be teaching you well!" the old man wriggled his white brows up at a smiling Gohan, who placed his hand on Pan's shoulder.

"It's a god thing, honey. Only they know each other's power... I think."

"Ohhh!" the girl nodded happily, and like the child she is her attention turned to something else. She pointed to the green man standing on the wing of the vehicle. "Why is Uncle Piccolo doing that?"

"Because he's weird," Bulma answered for her. "Just like Goten, Trunks, Tien, and whoever else is standing on my ship!"

When Pan laughed, the blue-haired woman looked at her adoringly and rubbed her pregnant belly. Thanks to that bastard Beerus, she could have lost little Bulla today. She was extremely lucky to have Vegeta and Dende there.

 _Vegeta..._

She squealed to herself remembering the anger on his face when he came to her protection. She was so caught up in her own moment that Krillin had to snort, and nudge Gohan while he was at it.

"Check her out, huh?" he laughed. "Pregnancy sure does strange things to women."

Yamcha, who had been mostly silent during the whole ordeal, joined in. "To be fair, Bulma's always been a little strange."

"I HEARD THAT!"

Gohan, Krillin, and Pan all laughed at the site of Bulma chasing Yamcha around the large area of the ship. Still, their laughter wasn't enough to block out the sounds of two gods screaming loudly. Gohan gently pushed Krillin out of the way to get a glimpse of it, and clenched his teeth when he noticed Beerus was squeezing Goku's neck tightly. When they passed Bulma's vehicle, they took out the wing that nobody was standing on.

"Those _idiots_!" Bulma seethed, and rushed to her control panel while the emergency light flashed throughout the entire ship. "We're going to crash!"

While everyone began rushing to Bulma's side, Gohan's worries were on something else. It didn't matter that the ship was crashing, somebody would grab it before anything happened. He was more concerned about his father.

During their passing, his hair was golden instead of red.

* * *

"...I don't care about pride. That's Vegeta. He's obsessed with it."

The battle of gods had brought them to a hidden lake underground. Their feet rested gracefully on top of the crystal clear water, and the only light in the dark cave was coming from the Saiyan on fire.

Beerus lowered his head slightly. "Oh, really? Then why did he make a fool of himself with that little song and dance routine?"

Goku smiled, remembering that embarrassing moment from the tree top. "Yeah, and that was really hard for him to swallow. But he did it for the sake of his loved ones, and I respect him for that."

The deity scratched at his neck. "Hm. Just like you gave up your pride to become a Super Saiyan God?"

The hero chuckled and placed his hands on his hips. "I guess you can say that!"

The scratching of the neck had ceased and now the cracking of it began. Beerus' tail swished behind him, occasionally dipping into the cool water. Sure he was having a bit of fun, but there was something bothering immensely. "Well, I can understand. I'm sort of disappointed myself. I'm not even using my full power and you're already losing."

Goku rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. "Hey, hey, who's losing here!? I'm only going about eighty percent, myself!"

"WHAT!? YOU'VE BEEN HOLDING BACK ON ME!?" Beerus snapped, insulted by what the goofy god had just said. His veins protruded from his forehead as he raised his fist. "LET'S SEE HOW YOU DO AT THIS SPEED!" the deity ran across the water, his teeth out on full display. As he came close to his oppponent, he elbowed him in the face harshly and immediately kicked him in the neck.

The god on fire took a few step backs but retaliated with a punch to the throat. Beerus backflipped his way to return to Goku, and the two became exchanging even blows.

Then suddenly, the cave had lost its light.

Shrugging it off, Goku used instant transmission twice to advert his enemy but missed his attack from behind. Angered that the Saiyan had tricked him, Beerus started blasting madly.

"Oh, come on!" an equally pissed off hero yelled, backing away from all the deadly ki blasts. "You didn't tell me it was going to be _that_ kind of fight!"

Beerus' evil chuckle echoed throughout the dark cave, causing the body of water to tremble. "You fool, you're fighting for your life! This isn't a game!"

For a reason the Saiyan couldn't explain, he managed to get to Beerus without getting hit and punched him hard in the ribs. The sight of spit coming out of his mouth actually relieved Goku but knew he had to back the hell away as soon as possible. More angered than ever, Beerus erupted into a rage of blasts coming from each and every direction.

 _Wow, I can't believe this power at all... It's so incredible! I was actually able to hit him_ that _hard that it caused some pain._

Goku shook his head, reminding himself that there was a fight going on and he could think about the power later. Due to his own self-distraction, he was finding himself trapped under rocks caused by Beerus to the point that not one inch of his body could move. A familiar rush became flowing through his veins, while his mouth opened widely to release it all.

"I WON'T LET YOU DESTROY MY WORLD!"

The rocks erupted into pieces, and at last the cave was lit again. Beerus snarled at the sight of a yellow aura emerging from the rubble and heading towards the sky, and quickly locked his arms around his neck. The deity himself was glowing a ghastly purple, and used their heads to knock off a part of an annoying ship that was in the way. "Have you not noticed it yet!?"

"Noticed what!?" Goku yelled clearly despite the tightness of the arms around his neck. Beerus released him once they were among the stars, floating way above the clouds of Earth. The Saiyan was too angered by what had happened in the cave to notice they were, in fact, in space. "Noticed how you were blasting me!? If you like blasts so much, here's one for you!"

The Saiyan was rapidly punching the cat-like god in the face while Beerus returned the favor, and the purple deity only grew angrier when one of the punches had hit him directly on the nose. He uppercut Goku's chin, but the Saiyan began performing his instant transmission diversion once more before the second hit. He appeared beneath Beerus, already having a kamehameha wave ready for him.

The cupped hands protruded out from his side and released a deadly blue wave that would have killed anyone except for the God of Destruction. Goku gritted his teeth when he realized that Beerus hadn't even moved out of the way. He let the attack go through him and disappear deep into space, not leaving a scratch on him anywhere.

"I bet you wished that killed me," he snickered, and raised his purple arms in the air. "Now it's _my_ time!"

Not even needing a moment to charge the attack, his Sphere of Destruction began powering its way to the Saiyan who was blocking Earth. "OH NO!" he grunted, and used both hands to grab the burning ball of fire. "If this hits Earth, everyone will die!"

The Sphere of Destruction felt stronger than Beerus himself. Goku began trembling at the might of it, sweating profusely and grunting. It was weighing down on him, dragging him towards his home and already burning him up.

 _Dammit... I can't let this happen... Not after everything!_

"Now have you noticed?" Beerus shouted against Goku's pained gasps.

"NOTICED WHAT!?"

"Your God power ran out back in the cave. Your body learned from the experience, and that was enough to push you to new heights. Your power is much greater and you don't even need the God form anymore. I can't believe it," his tail swished behind him, silently admiring the strong-willed Saiyan below him. How very interesting that such a power-hungry man only fought for good. "You're a true prodigy. I'll let Whis know."

"Well, that doesn't do me any good now!" Goku breathed out, his gi becoming sweat-drenched. Why the hell would Whis care about this, anyway? "This energy blast is too much for me! I can't stop it and my family is down there! You're too strong for me!"

Beerus' eyes flashed red, and he pointed a finger at the sphere. "Then you must accept your planet's fate!" The God of Destruction added fuel to the fire, causing it to expand and engulf Goku in its wild flames. Sweat dripped down his forehead and onto his mouth as his vision became blurred.

 _No... No..._

His body was inside the sphere now, floating near lifelessly. His hands had finally dropped to the side, floating freely. For the first time in his life, he had lost a fight after giving it his absolute all.

 _I let you all down..._

Trapped in a black void, he tried gasping for air that didn't come. His eyes closed tightly, searching for any answer at all.

 _GOKU!_

 _Chi-Chi...?_

His wife, in tears and standing right in between Bardock and Gine, was pleading with her eyes. Their sons were off to the side, all shouting his name. His daughter-in-law and granddaughter, crying. All seven of them, his little family, were all counting on him. Pan had just begun her life, his mother had just been brought back. They didn't deserve this.

They deserve everything this beautiful life has to offer.

The power of a god lived in him.

Goku screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt a surge rush through him, bringing him back to his senses. He was his own fire once more, inside of a weaker one. He spread his arms open widely and absorbed all of Beerus' sphere inside of him until he couldn't feel anymore. The flames had ceased to burn any brighter, and now rested inside him. His bulky shoulders heaved up and down, exhausted and beaten.

The Saiyan only looked up when he saw Beerus' shoes. The deity was staring at him with a giant sweatdrop on his face. "...How did you do that?"

Goku chuckled, but ended up coughing from the pain even that caused. "..I dunno."

"Hm..." he grinned. "You sure are strange."

The Saiyan returned a weak smile. "I guess you're going to kill me now, aren't you?"

Beerus tilted his head to the side, examining the beaten Saiyan up and down. "No. I'm not going to kill you. I just want you to admit your defeat, is all."

Goku shook his head, trying his best to look at Beerus with the same admiration although his eyelids were feeling heavy. "Yeah, yeah... I'm done, man. I gave you my all and you're still way too powerful. I give up. I definitely give up."

The deity shrugged his small shoulders. "Well, don't be too hard on yourself. I've lived longer than you could ever comprehend and you're the second strongest person I've ever fought."

That's a heartbreaker. Goku frowned. "Only the second strongest? Who's the first?"

"My attendant down there whom I'm sure is enjoying his sushi," Beerus gestured to the gorgeous blue and green planet down below, and ignored Goku's loud gasp. "He's stronger than me."

"Whoa..." Goku blinked. "..So, he's the strongest in the universe!?"

"In this universe, yes. There are many other universes besides this one, the seventh. Each of them spawn warriors stronger than you could ever-" Before he could finish, the big lug across from him had fainted and was heading back down to his home. Beerus shook his head, and grabbed Goku's arm to assist him on the way down. He led them back to Capsule Corporations where the fallen ship had been captured by Vegeta, who was currently shrugging off his wife's 'thank-you' hug with a red face. Beerus smirked and dropped his beaten opponent down by his father's feet.

Bardock stared uneasily at Beerus for a moment, clearly seeing he was the winner, before kneeling down to his son. "Hey, Kakarot. We watched the whole thing on Whis' staff...thing. I'm proud of you, kid. Dende will heal you right up."

"Wait a minute," Beerus cleared his throat, immediately bringing back the silence to those who were formerly celebrating their sorta-safe return of their hero. "Before the celebration begins, I need to destroy Earth."

"Aw, come on, man!" Goku wheezed out, trying to look at Beerus desperately behind the towel Chi-Chi was dabbing him with. "After what you said!?"

The God of Destruction raised his fist angrily in the air. "I said from the very beginning I was going to destroy Earth and that's exactly what I'm going to do." He opened his raised palm and pointed it squarely at Goku, who opened his arms wide and tried to hold all the family members he possible could from the ground. Trunks and Bulma were squeezing onto Vegeta tightly, with the pregnant wife crying into his arms. Pan was holding the hands of Hercule and Piccolo, not sure what was going on but knew it was serious when the Namek held her hand in public.

"There. You can open your eyes now."

When they did, they blinked at the sight of a crumbled rock falling from Beerus' hands onto the grass below. For good measure, he kicked in the direction of Whis who turned his nose up at him.

"Well, well. It looks like you destroyed Earth," Whis turned his back to his lord, who was putting his hand on his shoulder for transportation. "Oh, Miss Bulma? I'm sorry we ruined your party. The food was absolutely delectable!"

Bulma fumed, prepared to snap at the two but decided to let it all go. There was something else she had in mind that would benefit the both of them. She got up on her tippy toes and began whispering into Whis' ear, causing Vegeta to groan and Bardock to curse. "How about you come back from time to time for some of that delectable food and in return protect me from crazy guys like Beerus?"

Whis glanced over his shoulder to see the cat nearly falling asleep and nodded delightfully. "You got yourself a deal. Also, I would appreciate it if you had Bardock take better care of Lucy? Beerus needs a friend."

"SHUT UP!" Beerus removed his hand from Whis' shoulder once a realization kicked in. The Z fighters tensed up, hoping he hadn't changed his mind about Earth to abruptly. He pointed a clawed finger at a sweater-wearing hybrid. "...Gohan, isn't it?"

The young father sweatdropped, holding his daughter's hand tightly. "Y-Yes, Lord Beerus."

The deity shrugged and raised his hand in the air. Bits and pieces of Earth, including a full grown tree, came together in the sky. Pan shrieked watching it all circle around viciously at the movement of Beerus' wrist.

"Papa, is he going to throw that at you!?"

"I DON'T KNOW PAN!" Gohan screamed out, and earned a punch on his arm from his grandfather. "Ow... What the heck, Gramps? I have every right to be a little freaked out. There's a tree swirling in the air and the God of Destruction said my name!"

"I thought you were smart, kid," Bardock looked away from his grandson and smirked up at the soon-to-be creation in the sky. "Don't you see what he's doing for your little whiny ass?"

Gohan studied his grandfather's profile for a moment before returning his attention to Beerus. The tornado in the sky had ceased to exist, and in its place was his very own Z Sword being levitated towards him. He pointed at it with a trembling finger, trying to keep his cool and not embarrass himself in front of the god. "Oh... Wow...Is that for me?"

Beerus shrugged once more. "I recall you asked me for one back on that wretched planet. I don't really like _giving,_ but this was the most enjoyment I've had in a million years. Too bad there's no Kai to stick in it, but just give me the word and I'll find one."

Gohan laughed nervously, and gripped the handle. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he felt himself back-bending from the weight of it. "T-Thanks, Lord Beerus!" he wheezed. How in the hell it could weigh this much, he had no idea.

It must have some godly powers inside of it.

After everyone had helped Bulma clean up the mess (and gotten Gohan's back straight again), the Son family said their goodbyes to the Briefs and actually had a nice flight home, with Chi-Chi resting in Goku's arms.

"I think this is a perfect way to end such a crazy day, don't cha think!?" the mother and new grandmother smiled to herself. "It reminds me of that time Bardock flew me into the city. I think I much prefer my husband's arms."

"Your husband nearly died today and now he has to carry extra weight, that's kinda fucked up _don't cha think_?"

"Gine, remind me to beat him with my broom when we get home."

"Deal."

Remembering what Gohan had asked of him before they departed, Goku held Chi-Chi close and gave her one of those kiss things on the forehead. She gasped loudly in surprise, letting the sneaky hero know his plan was working perfectly. "Say, hon...? Do you think since Gohan's students are out for the summer we could go try out his new sword on another... planet? Before you say no I'll come back every night! I swear!"

Goten snickered under his breath. "Aw, Dad, you beg more than I do."

Chi-Chi frowned, searching the eyes of her husband. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah," Bardock growled, causing his son to gulp. "Do you?"

 _I can't believe this! I almost died today and they give me the third degree!_ "Cheech, you were the first person I thought of when I was in a raging ball of fire. Doesn't that say something?"

When Bardock saw his daughter-in-law's eyes light up, he rolled his eyes. The fool was already kissing him face all over while he was confused by the action, but knew it meant things would go his way. "Unbelievable..."

 _Bardock!_

"Dende?"

"Oh, Grandpa's talking to Dende everyone!" Goten announced, and gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Grandpa! I won't let anyone believe you're crazy!"

 _I was having a talk with a few people today and you have an important...mission slash training session thing. Can you meet me here at the lookout in a week?_

"Does it involve math or reading?"

 _Nope, just your brawn and no brain!_

"Oh Bardock, that's just perfect for you!" Gine pipped up, nearly causing Bardock to drop her, while Goku howled loudly.

"I didn't know they all could hear you, _Dende_!" Bardock looked at Goten, who shrugged innocently. "Yeah, I'll come meet you in a week. If you lied to met, I'll rip your little green antenna off."

 _I wouldn't believe anything less, Bardock._

* * *

Vegeta, with a towel wrapped around his neck after an intense day of training, walked through the long hall between his gravity room and the kitchen. It had been a week since Lord Beerus left. A week of more intense training. A week of no sleep. A week of nightmares.

How long was he going to be in the shadow of that clown?

He was intent on finding the key to being a Super Saiyan God without the use of others, one that would beat Kakarot's transformation. One that would actually beat Beerus.

The prince pounded his fist against the counter top noticing that Bulma didn't leave him anything to eat once again. "That damn woman and her stomach are eating everything in the house and leaving me to starve!" He rubbed his temple in frustration, realizing that he was talking to himself again. He just need something to go right, something to get him ahead of Kakarot...

"OH, BULMA! I can't believe this! They actually make this here all the time!?"

 _That voice..._

Vegeta ripped the blinds from the window blatantly, and stared in disbelief at the sight of his wife and Whis enjoying a meal outdoors. "What in the hell...is this?" Not the one to make a common entrance, Vegeta busted the window open and jumped out, scaring Bulma. Her pregnant belly almost knocked over the table as she stood up, causing Whis to freak out when his rice plate slid.

"HEY! I gave you an entire gravity room for you to destroy!"

Ignoring her, Vegeta stood in front of Beerus' attendant and narrowed his eyes. "Alright, I've had enough of this. Tell me exactly who the hell you are, attendant! You've been outside my house this entire time and I never sensed your ki."

"Vegeta!"

"No, no, it's alright. He already ruined lunch," Whis dabbed his lips with a napkin and neatly folded it back. His piercing eyes settled on the prince, who suddenly tensed up. "You refer to me as Lord Beerus' attendant, and that's true. But that's not all that I am."

"Oh, really?" Vegeta replied sarcastically, arching a brow. "What else are you? A fortune teller?"

"I'm his teacher."

* * *

"What the hell am I looking at here?"

Dende cleared his throat nervously, trying to say the words that he rehearsed over and over. He nudged Mr. PoPo to help him out, and the genie nodded quickly. "Well, you see Mr. Bardock, your son Goku used this room when he was a little boy training with me."

"Wait a minute," Bardock squinted at the dark-skinned being trembling beside him. " _You_ trained Kakarot? Damn, how many teachers has this kid had?"

Mr. PoPo chuckled nervously and continued. "It's called The Pendulum Room. It allows your mind to travel to any place at any point in time. You can interact with the people you find there, some you even know. You will feel pain, but it is impossible to die. It doesn't alter history, either. It's quite a remarkable training system."

Bardock's eyes searched the room slowly, looking at the pendulum swinging back and forth in the dark room over a ring. He bit his lower lip, wondering just what kind of fighters he'd meet. Still, it seemed strange to just spring this on him. "Alright, I don't want any bullshit. Why are you telling me about this?"

PoPo nudged Dende forward this time, and the softspoken guardian cleared his throat. "Well, Roshi was telling me at Bulma's party last week that you've been looking for a kung fu master by the name of Jackie Chun. He was a fighter of the past, though, and the only way to get to him is well... going into the past! But you also have another purpose, one that I can't tell you what it is or who wants you to find it until it happens."

Bardock crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his fingers against his bicep. Sure, the last part was strange but Roshi's training hadn't failed him yet. There was a very strong possibility that he could end back up at Planet Vegeta, and just for the fun of it try and kill Frieza. He hadn't realize he was smiling creepily at this thought until Dende cleared his throat.

"So..."

"So, what!?"

"Are you in?"

Bardock ran a hand through his messy black hair. "What about my family? How long will I be gone?"

Dende shrugged innocently. "I honestly can't tell you. The hours pass by like it does here. I could always bring you back whenever you want to leave. I'll be watching you the whole time, so just give me a holler."

"..Fair enough," the scarred warrior nodded. "Alright, fine. Whatever is going to help my ascension come faster. So... what? Do I just step on that ring thingy?"

"You got it, buddy!" Dende gave him a thumbs up. He had spent an entire week preparing the pendulum so it would sent him back to exactly where Roshi wanted him to go, and then where his secret mission was. "You're leaving now, Bardock! Remember, I'll be watching you!"

Bardock closed his eyes, suddenly feeling dizzy from head to toe. He could feel himself falling through a large tunnel, but was too nauseous to open his eyes. He could hear the damn ticking of the clock ringing throughout his ears until it was replaced by birds chirping, followed by a large _clunk_ to the ground once his body interacted with it.

"Fuck..."

"Go... Ku?"

The groaning Saiyan opened his eyes slowly to look at who the voice belonged to, but all he could make out against the brightness of the sun was a pink helmet with a blade protruding from the top.

* * *

 **A/N:** I went back and changed a couple of things in this story thanks to helpful reviewers! Bardock hasn't achieved Super Saiyan 2, I feel like that was so rushed and really shouldn't have been. I'm working on where he stands power-wise. Sorry for the long wait, but I hope someone out there is still reading! The next chapters will come rolling in now since I got through my least favorite part.

There will be more Super Saiyan Gods, by the way! I'm just going to work up to that part since this story is over after the Resurrection F arc finishes! So please don't be too upset! There's soo much to come.

Trunks and Goten will have something going on, and so will Roshi, Tien, Krillin, and Piccolo of course! I'll expand on that and what has happened here next chapter.

Thanks so much! :-)


	13. The Familiar Unfamiliar

"What in the hell...?"

Bardock held onto the back of his head as he brought himself upright, wincing as he felt it pulsate. Wherever he was sent to, it was scorching. The heat was so bothersome that it took him a moment to remember there was someone else there.

His eyes had left the bladed helmet and were now observing black bangs cut choppily underneath. The large innocent eyes blinked at him in confusion, which soon turned to terror when she realized she was staring at a stranger.

"Wait a minute!" she yelped, and hopped back defensively. Her small hands gripped the weapon on her head but hadn't removed it from its spot. "You're not Goku! Who are you!?"

The second she opened her mouth, Bardock knew. Groaning, the Saiyan rose to his feet and silently cursed Dende for sending him back to his daughter-in-law. "Your name wouldn't happen to be Chi-Chi, would it?"

Caught off-guard, the bikini clad girl took a step backwards. "How do you know my name!?"

"Damn it!"

"OH NO! Don't tell me I have another stalker!" the young princess's fear in her voice quickly changed deathly when she crouched down like a tigress about to kill her prey. Bardock raised an eyebrow at the maneuver, nearly forgetting that the young Chi-Chi was once a warrior. "You better explain yourself now before I make that scar bigger!"

The stalker looked up at the sky, wondering if Dende was looking down on him and laughing his ass off at his current situation. He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to convince himself that there truly was a purpose for this. Jackie Chun, after all, was active the most when Kakarot was a child. Maybe being sent to the kid version of Chi-Chi was the first step.

"Well, what are ya waiting for!?" the girl huffed, putting all her focus on the strange man's cheek. "Are you going to tell me the truth, or do I have to teach you a lesson!?"

"Hm," Bardock smirked, and lowered both of his arms with one closer to his face. He extended two fingers on each hand, and shook his head when he got a feel of Chi-Chi's ki. "I'd like to see you try."

Chi-Chi let out a childish war cry, and pulled the blade from atop her helmet quickly. Using all the force she could muster, she boomeranged the sharp object towards Bardock's face and waited with a devilish smile for it to cut the stalker's skin. Her papa instructed her to only use her blade and fists in times of crisis, and she was absolutely positive this counted as one. Stalkers all over the world kidnapped princesses for ransom, and she wasn't about to fall victim to that!

"...Huh?"

The child froze with her arms still extended forth, wondering why she hadn't heard the scream yet. Directly across from her, the stalker's smirk remained as he held the blade up with two fingers.

"Pretty impressive...for a girl."

"A...girl?" she began turning red, and turned her extended hands into small fists. "I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A GIRL CAN DO!"

The princess of Fire Mountain charged towards the armor-clad Saiyan, and pounded gave meaty thunks to his thighs - the only place she could reach. "Come...on...you... big...jerk!" she panted through each hit. "Fight...back!"

Bardock couldn't help but chuckle at the attempt. She sure did look a lot like little Pan, and definitely had Gohan's face. Her black hair was worn down and long, and she didn't dress as modestly as she did back at home. Still, the kid Chi-Chi had the same stubborn attitude as his Chi-Chi did. With his free hand that wasn't clutching the blade, Bardock flicked the girl's forehead.

It only took one time to make her skid backwards until she fell over.

The sniffling girl looked at the green-tipped boots making her way towards her, and she let out the loudest scream in the world for her papa until Bardock knelt down to seal her lips together with his thumb and forefinger.

"Look, kid, I'm not a stalker and I'm not going to hurt you. I'll tell you who I am if you just keep your damn mouth shut, alright? Nod if you understand me."

Chi-Chi searched his eyes for a moment, remembering what Papa had told her about boys that lie. When she couldn't detect the signs, her little head bobbed up and down. The action caused Bardock's fingers to release his grip on her mouth, but not before she got a whiff of them.

"Ewww, gross! It smells like you haven't showered in days!"

And there she goes insulting his hygiene. Yup, not much has changed. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Is it that you don't shower? You know, a good looking guy like you really needs to shower so the scent matches the face-"

"Chi-Chi, just shut up for one second! I'm trying to tell you a secret! Don't little brats love secrets?" when the small child nodded with brightening eyes, Bardock sighed heavily. "Look, I know this may be hard for you to believe, but the reason I know your name is because I'm from the future."

She blinked once, twice. A third time. "I may be a kid, but I am not a buffoon. If you're really from the future," Chi-Chi searched the vacant meadow of Fire Mountain, making sure nobody was listening. Just for safe measure, she lowered her voice in a whisper and leaned in closer. "Tell me something that proves it."

"Ugh, sure. Fair enough. Your boyfriend's name is Kaka-..Goku."

"Errr! Nope!" Chi-Chi struck a finger out at him, popping him on the nose. "He's actually my fiance-to-be for your information, and that's not good enough! You heard me mention his name earlier! Although..."

Bardock's eyes narrowed as her finger kept tapping him. "Although, what!?"

"Oh...nothing!" she chimed. "You just have the same hair as him, is all! But that's just a coincidence. You're darker, taller, and way mean. Try again!"

The Saiyan fell onto his butt after kneeling for so much and buried his head in an upright knee. He was pretty sure Dende didn't send him here to play twenty questions with this little annoyance, but in order to get where he needed to be, he had to get through this. There was just one problem.

Bardock never really asked or got to know Chi-Chi well enough to bring up something from her past.

 _Think think think. Think think think. What has that lady told you about her childhood?_

A sudden image of lunch years ago on Mount Paozu appeared in the back of his mind, the time when he was teaching Goten to fly while Gohan worked on Videl. They talked about...the World Martial Arts Tournament and chopsticks were somehow involved... Chi-Chi was worried about Videl and Gohan working together because...

 _Bingo._

Bardock started snapping his fingers as a good one finally came to him. "Alright, alright. I got it. On your first date with Kak-Goku, you two fought."

Chi-Chi's eyes were as large as Dragon Balls as she leaned towards the Saiyan and gripped him by the straps of his armor. She examined his emotionless face with bright eyes, amazed. "Gosh, I can't believe it! You really _are_ from the future! AH!" she gasped loudly out of nowhere, and threw herself away from him. She got to her feet and clasped her hands together while jumping up and down. "Am I beautiful in the future!? Do Goku and I have lots and lots of kids!?"

"You're not ugly, and you have two sons." Hey, Dende said this had no effect on history. Why not make the little annoyance happy?

"EEEEEK! YAYAYAYAY!" she twirled around, her teal cape following her as she moved. By the time she mad a three-sixty all the way around, she noticed that the man from the future was back on his feet again. She smiled sweetly at him while extended her hand forward. "What's your name, anyway?"

Accepting the gesture, Bardock gave her hand a firm shake but didn't return the smile. "Bardock."

The two new pals walked through the meadow towards the giant castle in which Ox King and his daughter lived in. The Saiyan explained to the princess about the Time Room and how he ended up here in the first place. She kept asking more questions about her life in the future, and he provided the answers. Every now and then, a breeze would come through the scorching mountain and cause the tall grass to brush against his legs. He shook his head in amazement; this wasn't actually real but it _felt_ so real.

"So, you think Kaka-..Goku is at Kame House with Roshi?"

The bikini wearing girl came to a skid in front of the castle doors. She pouted up at her fortune teller, not wanting him to go so soon. "Awh... You're not really going to go see that old man, are you? You and me could hang out all day! I'll... I'll..." she looked around hastily, trying to find an excuse to keep her new friend by her side. "Oh! I'll teach you how to throw my boomerang!"

 _Now she's reminding me of Goten..._

Bardock gave the princess a half-smile and placed his large hand on her tiny shoulder. "It's been great, kid. But I really have to go."

Chi-Chi stamped her foot on the ground like the petulant child she was. "Then take me with you! I want to see Goku!"

"Don't you have a kingdom to run?"

"Papa won't mind! We just can't tell him!"

Bardock hooded his eyes. The little brat was damn near in tears, quivering from her pink boots and up. He absolutely loathed that dumb face, the one she passed onto her sons. She might start screaming again if he said no, and his headache had barely disappeared. He pinched the bridge of his nose and started walking past her. "Fine, but I swear if you don't keep my secret quiet-"

"No worries!" Chi-Chi replied cheerfully, trying to keep up with Bardock. "I won't tell Goku you're his father and you're not really existing right now and you're a Super Saiyan whatever that is but not a Super Saiyan 2 and Goku and me have two sons and a cat god just visited you and-"

Her lips were sealed once again.

* * *

"We've been doing a lot of training on Kibito Kai's planet, so I think it's time to go back to King Kai! I miss that guy!"

Gohan smiled at his father's back as the messy-haired hero flung his backpack full of food over his shoulder. He reminded him so much of a little kid at times that it wasn't even funny. "Dad, you're evergreen."

Goku tilted his head before placing two fingers on his forehead. His wife and mother had already said their temporary goodbyes and the father-son duo were standing outside the cottage-style home. "I'm green?"

"...No, Dad. It's just an expression."

"Ohh, good! I thought your mother put poison in my breakfast!" he laughed, and offered his son his hand. "Ya got the sword?"

Gohan showed his father his backside before taking his hand, showing off the new scabbard Bulma had made for him. The blade was tucked securely inside, and the handle was exposed coming off his shoulder. "Heh, it's the only thing strong enough to hold this bad boy!"

Once he picked up on a sleeping King Kai, the duo instant transmissioned their way to the small planet. The owner of it was knocked out in his lawn chair, absorbing the heat from the non-existent sun. Goku snickered under his breath and pushed his son forward.

"Come on, do it! It'll be funny!" he whispered.

"Dad, no! I'm not going to do that!" Gohan's turned tomato-faced, disbelieving that his father could be this immature. "This sword isn't something to play with!"

"Awh, come on, son! If you do it, I'll train you extra, extra hard!" the father had the audacity to put the puppy eyes on his son, causing Gohan to drop his head in defeat.

"Fine, fine. But if something bad happens, you're taking the blame."

When his father gave him the thumbs up, Gohan shook his head and removed the sword from the sheath. It took about a month on the Sacred World of the Kais to get use to it, and holding it felt like nothing now. Blushing, he pointed the sharp dagger at King Kai's forehead.

"King Kaiiiiii... Ohh King Kaiiii..." Goku sang, but raised his voice to the nth degree when the shin-jin did nothing. "HEY KING KAI!"

The teal-skinned creature opened his eyes abruptly, and screamed at the sight of a mighty mystic Saiyan pointing what had to be the world's most dangerous weapon at his face. Falling out of his chair, he pointed an angry finger at the embarrassed Gohan while Goku howled wildly in the background. "Gohan, I'm ashamed! That was very, very rude!"

"...I'm sorry, King Kai..." he mumbled, tucking the sword back in its rightful place. He helped his father's former mentor to his feet and offered him his most apologetic smile. "I just really wanted to wake you up. Do you think my father and I could train here for a bit? Kibito Kai's planet is getting a little old for us."

King Kai glared over at his former student who was crying from laughter. "You can, but he's gotta go. Every time he's on this planet, my house either gets destroyed or I die."

The messy-haired hero, finally recovered, came to his old master's side. "Awh, you're still upset about that? I'm not going to be doing anything, I swear! I just really wanted you to see Gohan at work! He's a real pro with that sword!"

King Kai looked over the still blushing Gohan and nodded in approval. "Not just any sword, one made by the God of Destruction. But..." the teal-skinned being looked around uneasily, making sure his car was safely on the other side of the planet. "Are you sure you can handle it? I won't see it go flying and break my windows or something, right?"

"No, sir!" Gohan stood up straight and saluted the shin-jin, and soon after began showing off his new skills. King Kai even had to clap and whistle a few times as the prodigy thrust the sword out repeatedly mid-air, looking like some superhero of legend.

King Kai wasn't the only one impressed. As Gohan kept doing strikes in the air and even below, a strange and wondrous thought had cross Goku's mind. The sword had come from a god, so why shouldn't a god use it?

Red hair might fit his son.

XX

* * *

"I've never met anyone who could fly before!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. Sitting on top of Bardock's back, she was able to look at the dolphins hopping in and out of the clear blue water beneath them. "Well, Goku can. But he uses the Flying Nimbus!"

Again, the man remained silent. Chi-Chi huffed, starting to get upset that he kept ignoring her. Maybe something about fighting would peak his interests.

"You say that guy you're looking for, Jackie Chun, is a martial artist. Right?"

"Hn."

"Well, if he's as good as you say he is, why don't you enter the World's Martial Arts Tournament!? He _has_ to be competing! Maybe you guys can go head to head!"

She could feel him shudder beneath her. "Nah, don't think so kid. Last time I enter one of those, I never got a chance to fight and the entire world blew up."

"Oh."

After a moment of silence, Bardock could feel the girl on his back humming to herself. Now that she brought it up, he recalled Kakarot mentioning that it was at the World's Martial Arts Tournament where Jackie Chun had defeated him after all that training from Roshi. He supposed it wouldn't be so bad entering another one, knowing that no mo-hawked Shin would pop out of nowhere and fuck everything up.

Hell, he could probably even win this one...

"On second thought, maybe entering the tournament doesn't sound so bad after all."

Chi-Chi smiled, and patted the top of his head. "That's the spirit! But I'm just warning you now, I don't think _anybody_ could beat Goku! Hmph!" she stuck her nose up proudly in the air, but lowered it when something kicked in. "Oh, hey... Shouldn't you already know who wins the tournament?"

Instead of answering her, he reached back to grab her wrist while she let out a squeal and then held her in his arms like a wounded animal. The small, familiar island was down below, but Bardock was frowning. His son's ki, even though not as powerful at this age, should have been detected. He didn't know how to conceal it yet.

"Kakar-Goku's not here, kid. But at least the old man is."

"Hm?" Chi-Chi twisted her body around to look at him with a tilted head. "How do you know that? We aren't even inside the house yet!"

When his boots hit the sand, he dropped the girl right on top of it. She rubbed her bottom as she got up and gave his thigh a good smack before they both started walking towards the little pink house. Bardock grumbled under his breath, figuring that his son and his little bald friend were off training somewhere. Before his large fist could pound on the green screen door, it opened wide to reveal a violet-haired woman wearing an apron.

"Uh..."

"Hi, there!" she replied sweetly, and even offered the Saiyan and little princess a plate of cookies. "You must be a friend of Roshi's! He's been in the bathroom for a long time, so I know he'll be out soon! Come in, come in!"

When she turned her back on them to head back indoors, Chi-Chi tugged on Bardock's wristband to get his attention. "Who the heck is she?"

Bardock had never met her before in his life. Could she have been Roshi's... mate back in the day? She seemed pretty domesticated. "I have no clue, kid."

"What!?" Chi-Chi whispered loudly, not wanting the kind woman to hear her. The two had reluctantly stepped into the house, not trusting someone so sweet but tempted by the smell coming from the kitchen. "You know everything!"

"Yeah, well, I guess people just forgot about her!" It didn't really make a difference. She was just another human woman, and no matter what relation she had with Roshi, it didn't look like it was going to effect his plan at all.

The two travelers awkwardly took a seat on the couch, with Chi-Chi on the far left side and Bardock on the far right. The woman in the kitchen was humming softly, and stirring something up in a pot that had a scent cause Bardock's stomach to growl. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten at all today.

"If you're not going to ask her, I will!" Chi-Chi whispered from behind her hand, and Bardock nodded eagerly. The young princess cleared her throat. "Where's Goku!?"

"No! Damn it, Chi-Chi! I told you he's not here!"

"Well then what the heck were you nodding for!?"

Bardock threw his head back, finding the temptation to call Dende more and more intriguing by the minute. He was so casual about everything since he knew this didn't really exist, but damn it he was not going to beg this woman for food! And damn it, the hunger pangs were real! The food was real! The annoyance was real! It was all real but wasn't at the same time.

Absolute madness.

"Hungry?"

Bringing his head back up, Bardock arched a brow at the sight of the violet-haired woman offering him a plate of yakitori, skewered grilled chicken. He sniffed the air a few times subtly, and shrugged. "Is it poisoned?"

"Nope, it's chicken!" she held the plate out before him, but set her eyes on the little girl at the other end of the sofa. "And Goku is out running errands, delivering milk I believe? He should be back soon! They always come home before sunset!"

"I don't really like sunsets," Bardock took the plate with force, trying to distract her while doing so. "You got any seasoning for this shit?"

"Mmhm!" she nodded, and pulled a pepper-shaker from out of her apron. Greedily, Bardock snatched it from her and began shaking it all over his chicken. Chi-Chi was going to ask the kind lady for a her name, but stopped when she noticed her nose was twitching.

"Hey, stop shaking so much of that! You're going to make her sneeze!"

"DID SOMEBODY SAY SNEEZE!?" a familiar voice came from the bathroom, and Roshi could be heard frantically flushing a toilet. Bardock froze with the shaker hanging above his chicken, rolling his eyes.

"It's a sneeze! What the hell is-"

"AAACHOOOOOO!"

Roshi came barging out of the bathroom exactly after the dreaded sound was heard. He didn't know who the man with a familiar haircut on his sofa was, but he knew he just released the beast. There was now a blonde woman in the living room, and the old man began talking to her like she was some sort of mental patient.

"Hey there, Launch... It's okay," he said slowly, inching close to the door and motioning for Bardock and Chi-Chi to follow him. "We were just leaving-"

"SO YOU THINK MY CHICKEN NEEDS ALL THAT SEASONING, HUH!?" Launch snapped, and pointed a gun directly at Bardock's forehead. "SAY YOUR PRAYERS, HEDGEHOG!"

"Where did that gun even come from?"

Chi-Chi tugged on the motionless Bardock's arm, trying to get him to move. " _That's_ what you're concerned about!? Come on, come on!"

The Saiyan grabbed the girl by her cape and tossed her over to Roshi, who nodded and ran outside. Launch took the throwing of the girl as a threat, and immediately began firing. The bullets that touched his skin dropped to the tiles beneath him, and he struck out a hand to take the gun away from the trigger-happy woman. Her green eyes widened, and a trembling finger pointed at her gun now in his posession.

"Yous be careful with that... you.. monster!"

Bardock was beginning to understand why nobody had mentioned her before. All these women were psycho and she definitely wasn't any different. Placing the gun on the floor, he grabbed the woman by her hair and forced the pepper shaker under her nose while she bit him. Eventually, her sneeze turned her back into the woman they had met before.

"You uh..." he released her, and looked around at the shattered living room. "You ruined my chicken."

"Oh, my!" she blushed, and saw that the plate had dropped to the floor. "You go play in the water, I'll whip you up another plate in a jiffy!"

Chi-Chi waited outside the door eagerly to make sure her new friend made it out safely. When he appeared, she wrapped her arms around his leg. "Oh, yay! See, you're _just_ like Goku! I knew you'd be okay!"

"Bunch of freaks," he muttered, and kicked the princess off him gently. His eyes scanned the beach for the turtle hermit, more than ready to have this mission complete. He left the girl by the palm tree to meet the purple shell wearing man near the ocean, and stood by his side as they looked out on the sunset.

"Yes?" Roshi questioned, without even looking away.

"I'll explain everything, but first I need to know... Where is Jackie Chun?"

"...I think you should explain yourself first."

"Listen, old man! I'm desperate here!" Bardock snapped, and grabbed Roshi by his shoulders to shake him. "I'm a very busy guy and I've got a lot of shit to do in my own timeline, so I'd appreciate it if you could just tell me where Jackie Chun is so I can move on with my life and not have to run into anymore of these god damn females!"

Since luck was never on his side, the sound of a helicopter landing behind him caused a shiver to go down his spine and Master Roshi to stick out his tongue. "We'll get back to you in a minute, my boy. That right there was the sound of a beautiful woman... And there she is!"

Bardock immediately released the old pervert when his eyes nearly looked like hearts. He was ogling at someone behind him, the one who flew the helicopter in to reach the island. Knowing he'd regret it later, he looked over his shoulder slowly. A young woman wearing shorts so short that they revealed extremely long legs and a pink tube top that barely concealed anything came strutting towards the duo, mumbling about something.

"Roshi, I'm staying here for a couple of days! Yamcha is being a total jerk again and-" she paused, mouth agape. Bardock began to feel uneasy, knowing that he was the reason why. The more closer she scooted to him, the farther he moved away. The turtle hermit was still drooling over her, his young son wasn't around, and now Vegeta's wife was looking at him strange.

"Well heya, handsome. My name's Bulma."

* * *

"Dude, this sucks!" Trunks pouted, kicking a pebble a thousand feet away as he made his way down a meadow on Mount Paozu. "Why does my dad get to train with that Whis guy, and we can't!?"

"I dunno!" Goten whistled, tilting his head back to watch a butterfly float above him. Once it disappeared too far for him to bend back, he snapped himself back up and frowned at his friend. "But it's not fair! Gohan and Grandpa left somewhere too! It's like we're the only ones that don't get to have any fun!"

The boys continued their complaining until they were far out in the green meadow. Trying to shake off the disappointment, Trunks cracked his knuckles and smirked at the messy-haired child. "Alright; this is perfect. Come on, with my dad gone, you're the only one I can beat up as a Super Saiyan!"

"Funny joke!" Goten's face took on a serious expression as he got into a fighting stance. "But I'll be the one beating you!"

"We'll see about that."

The two boys quickly transformed, and Goten was the one to make the first move. He sprang up from the ground, causing the grass to blow around furiously. He pulled his arm back while clenching a fist, throwing it forward until it connected with Trunks' left cheek. He continued to put more pressure on it, scowling when his friend's face wasn't moving. With his other fist, Goten swung a punch to the other side of the lavender-haired boy's head.

Instinctively, Trunks blocked the punch and countered with an upward cut to Goten's neck. The messy-haired child flew back, yelling at the top of his lungs. Trunks followed where he was going, and the two continued going at it. They were already a few miles away from where they started, training with each other as ruthlessly as they could.

Simultaneously, the boys pulled their fists backwards and were prepared to give the punching of their lives when a swooshing sound distracted them. Keeping their positions, they glanced up in the sky to see a familiar green skinned being.

"Oh crap..."

"That's right, brats!" the Namek sneered. "It's back to Piccolo's training camp!"


	14. Discoveries

"His...teacher...?"

Whis took a sip of his tea, and dabbed his lips with a napkin while eyeing the shocked Saiyan standing before him. One white brow arched up. "Yes, that's right. I don't know why you're looking at me like that, getting mentored never seemed like your _cup of tea_ , anyway." The humanoid chuckled at his own joke for a moment, but grew silent when he realized nobody joined him.

Vegeta tried forcing a laugh to come out, but it sounded more like a joking noise. The slightly red Saiyan cursed under his breath, and grabbed the arm of his still angry and still pregnant wife. "Could you please excuse us for a second, Whis."

The request came out as a quiet demand filled with awkward coughs. Whis shooed him off with chopsticks, opting to eat his rice instead of trying to entertain the prince. Vegeta did a double-take over his shoulder to make sure the God of Destruction's teacher was too occupied with his food to notice him shoving his wife into a bush. He placed two gloved hands on his muscular biceps as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked her dead in the sapphire eyes.

"How long has he been coming here?"

The bluenette mimicked his pose by accident, looking identical. "Oh, so _now_ you want to know what I've been up to!? Gosh, I wish you were as interested in Whis as you were about your family!"

Scowling, the widow-peaked Saiyan pointed an accusing finger in her direction. "Just answer the question. This _is_ for my family."

Without being aware, Bulma rubbed her protruding tummy. A light sigh escaped her lips, reminding herself that her husband _had_ gone on a mini vacation with them not too long ago. Certain events had caused him to leave early, but he still sacrificed something he loved for them. Her hormones were just getting the best of her. "Gosh, I would have to say... maybe every day this week for lunch?"

"WHAT!?"

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" she turned her back on him so she could pretend he wasn't looking like a raging bull. "You've been doing your little training on the mountains. Why does any of this matter, anyway? We're just two friends having lunch! Unless..."

When she gasped and turned around with a blushing face, the prince took a cautious step backwards. "Unless, what!?"

"Unless you're..." she sighed dreamily, placing her head against his shoulder. "Jealous?"

"Tch," he pushed her away gently, but then held her by her brawny shoulders tightly. "Listen, Bulma. This is very important. What's his reason for being here? Did you invite him?"

Bulma punched his armor-platted pectorals with a balled up fist. There would have been no distance between them if it weren't for little Bulla. "Yes, I did invite him, and I'm offering him food in exchange for keeping Trunks and me safe in case another incident like that happens again!"

She squirmed a little where she stood when she noticed her words had turned his eyes dark. Not able to move in his grip, she stood there like a toddler being told to hold it until he made it to the restroom. It was her only defense. "...Vegeta?"

 _Keeping Trunks and me safe..._

His eyes dropped to his gold-tipped boots, looking at them absently while his wife's words took control of his thoughts. His thick dark eyebrows became knitted together. It was a shot to his pride, and he stood there motionless as humility and disappointed swelled up inside his chest. Bulma couldn't depend on him anymore when it came to protecting her and their son, and soon, their daughter. In fact, his daughter could have died after that impact of Bulma falling from Beerus' slap.

"Vegeta... I didn't mean it like that. It's just, well, you know..." she bit her lip, not sure how to explain herself properly. He was always so hard to read. "I know you'll always protect us, and we love you. But things are getting...intense. Goku was a God, and even he couldn't beat that guy..."

Feeling anger take over humility, he dropped his hands away from her and placed them by his sides. He clenched and unclenched them, over and over. Why couldn't he protect them, anymore? Why, out of all the people in the world, she had to bring up _him_? Kakarot. Kakarot, Kakarot, Kakarot. He'd already acknowledged to himself of being in second place, but now...

His _wife_ felt more protected by Kakarot than him.

All because _he_ had gotten the chance to be a god. Lousy clown took some of his power and couldn't even use it to defeat Beerus.

Oh, how different it would have been if he were the god...

Just to have that one opportunity to best Kakarot...

Vegeta's eyes quickly locked on an area in the bushes that offered a peephole to where Whis was chowing down. A devilish smirk crossed his lips slowly, and a deep and dark chuckle escaped them.

His opportunity was sitting in his backyard.

"HEY!" Bulma huffed, trying to keep up with his husband's quick strides back to her guest. "You wanna tell me what's going on!? You had more mood swings than me back there!"

"Quick, tell me!" he ordered, not looking back at her. "What food haven't you given him?"

"What!?" she panted, jogging this time to join his side. Bulla didn't like all this moving around and gave her a kick. Her thin blue brows lowered, and her lips went into a full pout. "Oh, you better not be thinking what I think you're thinking! Because if you think that you can leave your pregnant, beautiful wife behind to train with him in exchange for food, it's too late buster! I gave him everything you could think of!"

"Treacherous snake woman," he muttered under his breath, but clasped his hands together in forced enthusiasm when they came to a stop in front of Whis. Both the humanoid and Bulma raised their eyebrows when he dropped to his knees. There was obvious pain and humiliation in his voice that he tried to swallow. "Whis... please take me to your planet. I want to be your student."

Bulma placed her hand on her chest, completely taken aback by what her prideful husband had just said and done. Fortunately, the unimpressed teacher of the God of Destruction stood up and began walking away from the kneeling Saiyan. She stuck up her nose and snickered. "Well, well, well. I guess that little stunt didn't go as planned, did it?"

 _Dammit all, I've already thrown away so much of my pride in front of him already... The damn Bingo..._

"Plan B," he scoffed mostly to himself, and jogged to catch up with the most powerful man in the universe. Seeing him already preparing his staff for exiting, Vegeta blurted out, "Whis, wait! What if I give you the...tastiest food on Earth?"

Whis glanced at the prince from over his shoulder. "Oh...? The tastiest, huh?"

"Yes," Vegeta turned around slowly and looked at Bulma darkly, almost looking like the Saiyan she remembered on Planet Namek. "It's my wife's favorite. Just give me five minutes."

Bulma's jaw dropped, watching the now curious Whis take a seat back down on the bench. "You wouldn't dare!"

The prince was already on the move, knowing that the last thing she would think of to give the almighty Whis would be sitting in the back of her kitchen cabinet and not served on fine China. Coming back through the window he had already damaged, Vegeta moved through the kitchen at lightening speed with the thought of surpassing Kakarot on his mind. He had seen the move manipulated by the cooks a hundred thousands times, since he most often sat right there in front of them and demanded it after training. It was fast, and it was good.

 _Real good._

Bulma fell to her knees in the grass, imagining her husband in there laughing like a mad scientist or a blood-thirsty Saiyan prince who stole her Dragon Ball. She could already see the bags backed up, the empty bed as usual, and worst of all, no father present for Bulla when she entered this world. She was pounding the grass with her fists when Vegeta came out, carrying a steaming bowl and offering his angered wife a smirk.

Carefully placing the bowl in front of his hopefully soon-to-be teacher, Vegeta backed away and waited. The humanoid slowly dipped his chopsticks in the bowl, bringing out a good amount of instant noodles. He plopped the food into his mouth, gave it one bite, and...

* * *

"Here."

Vegeta already had all of his things packed for the long training session on Beerus' planet. It was mostly capsules containing all sorts of food; half for himself and half for Whis, but some of his armor and boots were in his large knapsack as well. A tired and frustrated Bulma had dropped a box in front him before he could say his goodbyes.

"What's this?" he questioned, looking at her backside. Despite the large stomach, her frame was still petite. A flowery sundress hugged her hips perfectly, and still left her room for breathing.

"I made you some new armor," she shrugged. "I'm getting sick of you wearing all that old, ugly stuff."

Curiosity got the best of him. Even he had to admit, that woman had a talent. Secretly, her version of Saiyan armor was his favorite. Gently taking the lid off of the black box with a golden bow, the first part that greeted him was the chest piece. It had gold straps like Bardock's green ones, but the rest of it was white. He pulled it out, looking at it front and back. Underneath where it had been in the box, was a black undersuit with a high neck and seams on the front. White gloves and a new pair of boots were there, too.

After laying it all out on the bed to examine it, Vegeta nodded his head as if were agreeing with something. He looked over to see Bulma was still standing in the doorway with her back to him, waiting for a reply.

"It's decent."

"Yeah, well, glad ya like it. Bye."

When she hadn't received a response, she turned around to see the prince taking off his old chest plate. Her sapphire blues blinked a few times. A sweet smile had replaced her scowl instantly.

"Wow. You must really like it then to be putting it on now!"

Vegeta paused with his hands on the collar of his old blue undersuit. Everything else had already been removed, and the human female was just gaping at him. "Turn around, vulgar woman."

The smile remained as she shook her head, but Bulma turned around anyway. She remained that way until he cleared his throat, signaling for her to turn around. She immediately began gushing while looking him up and down. "Ooh, I knew that would look good on you!"

He arched a brow at her sudden happiness. "As I said. Decent."

Bulma frowned, realizing that she was giving him the 'okay' to go without actually meaning it. She crossed her arms over her chest protectively, as if she were blocking her heart. "So... you're really leaving, huh?"

Vegeta blatantly pointed to his knapsack behind him, earning an eye roll from her.

"You don't have to be such a smart ass, you know! After everything I have-"

The shutting of the door by her husband quieted her down, and then completely silenced her when she saw him lock it. Feeling as if he could see the big question mark above her head, Vegeta sighed. "I don't want Trunks to see this."

"Wh-"

Silenced again by an act of the prince. He placed his arms on her lower back, but still separated because of Bulla. The little Saiyan princess responded to her father's torso touching her home by giving him a good kick.

"Fuck!"

"Vegeta!"

"Damn," he pulled back a little to look down at the bump. "Not even out of the womb yet and could kill Kakarot's father."

Bulma laughed, and wrapped her arms around his neck to look up at him. "If it's any consolation, I have a feeling she'll be stronger than Pan. She's a half Saiyan, after all."

Her laughter only increased when his eyes lit up at the thought. He took another minute to touch his daughter, wondering if she'd respond again. When he felt a jolt race through his arm, he fought back a smile. "I'll be here to see you, brat. Keep your mother out of trouble."

Bulma quickly grabbed his face, studying his eyes with her misty ones. "Vegeta...do you mean it?"

Instead of answering her, he leaned across to press his lips against her forehead. He figured that would keep her happy for a few months, and when her lips curled up into a pleased smile he decided he might do it again when he came back to see Bulla. Pretending to be angry after he let her go, his woman stomped out of the room to leave him alone with his belongings. He flung the knapsack over his shoulder, prepared to be taken to another world.

Until his son blocked the doorway.

"You're really leaving, Dad?"

The damn eyes he shared with his mother stared at him dolefully, hoping that there would be a 'no' somewhere and they could go back to training in the Gravity Room together. Vegeta placed his knapsack down by his feet and breathed out once. "Trunks, you out of everyone should know how important this is. Don't start whining, boy."

Trunks lowered his head, looking even younger than he was. "Yeah, but... What am I suppose to do without you?"

"Excuse me?"

The thirteen year old blushed, hoping he wasn't sounding too corny in front of his hero. "I mean, who am I suppose to train with when you're not around? Fighting with Goten is fun and all, but it's nothing like ragging on my dad!"

Vegeta smirked, now seeing himself instead of Bulma. "Oh, I don't know about that, Trunks. Your little sister will be here soon and she can already kill from inside the womb. My prediction is, she'll be stronger than you."

Mortified, the boy turned crimson all over. "Sh-Shut up!" when his father gave him the death glare, he retaliated. "Uh, sorry, I mean no way SIR! I'd never let that happen!"

The father chuckled darkly, almost teasing him. He placed a firm hand on his son's ever growing shoulders and cleared his throat. "You're a good kid and a damn good fighter. I want you to keep using my Gravity Room while I'm gone, and if your sister starts walking, throw her in there as well. No excuses."

Trunks smiled. "No excuses!"

Vegeta gave his shoulder a tight squeeze. "Who knows. If you keep pushing yourself beyond your limit, perhaps Whis will consider training you one day."

The blue eyes turned into an ocean. "What!? You really mean that, Dad!?"

The prince flung his knapsack over his shoulder once more, leaving his son to ponder that possibility. He didn't look over his shoulder once, not wanting to see the look in Bulma's eyes or Trunks' frown when it kicked in he was going to be gone for a good while. It was time to briefly leave that part of him behind and focus on whatever Whis told him. His very first teacher was standing right outside the front door of Capsule Corporations, eating an ice cream cone.

"That's quite the luggage you've got there," he snickered from behind the vanilla dessert. "But will it be enough for what I'm going to put you through? Contrary to the popular belief, I'm a very strict teacher. With proper tutelage, you could reach your goal of surpassing Goku."

Vegeta closed his eyes for a minute, not wanting to show any excitement. He knew this was going to be tough, but nothing had ever come easy for him in the first place. "I'm ready."


	15. Gohan's Choice

**\- - - If you got two notifications for chapter 15, I apologize! I posted it last night but my tablet went haywire and deleted it on when I was only trying to replace it. This isn't a new chapter, my apologies.**

* * *

"I'm not even close to thirty yet, and my back is killing me!" Videl pouted as she rubbed her lower aforementioned body part. She tried hiding her pain as she waved to some of the students of her father's dojo. Once the last child got in his mother's car, the young mother let out a loud groan. "Oh, thank Dende!"

She threw her duffle bag down on the sidewalk, and fell onto it. Propping her elbows up on her knees, Videl rested her weary head in her hands. Her father had been too busy getting interviewed for his 'fight' with Beerus to take care of the students today, so she had to work her body extra hard.

"Oh well," she sighed, and glanced up at the sky. "At least Gohan and Pan will be here soon."

That's all it would take to make her feel better. Although he's been so consumed with that sword during his time off for the summer, he still was there every single night like he promised.

Videl smiled up at a cloud, running through random memories she had shared with her husband up in that sky. She was so consumed in her beautiful thoughts, she hadn't noticed the red car that pulled up in front of the curb until the driver honked. Startled, Videl jumped to her feet. She was about to get into a protective stance in case it was some loon trying to kidnap the second richest man's daughter, but lowered her arms when she recognized the vehicle.

 _That's... Gohan's car..._

She knew for a fact that he didn't drive to Chi-Chi's house today.

Videl finally looked at the driver, and blinked thrice. "...Piccolo?"

Red in the green face, the Namek didn't bother rolling down the window to answer her. He pointed to the seat beside him, and then put his hands back tightly on the steering wheel.

Figuring that Gohan must have ran into some trouble and sent him, Videl picked up her belongings and walked to the other side. She slid into the seat after throwing her bag in the back and then gave the driver a double-take.

"What are you...wearing?"

The hat worn on top of his head was turned backwards to hide the name 'Gokuu' in the back. His long sleeved purple shirt underneath a short sleeved yellow one covered his green and pink arms, while a pair of baggy jeans replaced his usual pants.

Still blushing, Piccolo started driving and kept his eyes on the road. "I had to disguise myself. Gohan... didn't send me."

Cautiously, Videl looked over at her door to see Piccolo had turned the child-lock on. "...Are you kidnapping me, Piccolo? Gohan was just about to fly in for me. I don't think you could get away with it."

The car came to a screeching halt in front of a red light as the driver shook his head. "I passed him a long time ago. I overheard something and needed to talk to you right away before he could."

Videl played with the heart charm on her necklace, nodding to herself. "Alright, I guess that explains a little bit. But can I ask why the hell you stole my husband's car? I didn't even know you could drive!"

Piccolo's hands tightened around the steering wheel, his knees nearly pressed against his chest. His legs were way too long to be driving this small car. "Who do you think taught Gohan how to drive!?" he almost sounded offended, but quieted himself down. He needed this to go in his favor. "Look, Videl. Gohan and I've been talking. Apparently, Vegeta is training with Whis. That one guy that visited us not too long ago."

"Oh...?" Videl wasn't sure what to say. "Good for him?"

Piccolo growled under his breath, sensing a couple of familiar ki not that far away. The bastards were closing in on him, hunting him down. He had to either find divergence, or get what was on his mind out quickly. Videl let out a scream as he did a sharp U-Turn at the light above, earning a few honks. He drove through a parking garage, trying to avoid the outdoors.

Videl kept a hand on her chest until her rate went back to normal. She was almost certain he was kidnapping her, if the driver were anyone but Piccolo. Still, driving through a dark and nearly empty parking garage didn't help his case. She gave his large bicep a quick smack, and even considered knocking the stupid hat off his head.

"What the heck did you do that for!? Were you trying to kill me!? I'm not as indestructible as you think, you know!" when she heard him mumble something under his breath, she knocked his hat off. "Just spit it out already! What's going on!?"

"You know Vegeta and Goku and their little rivalry," Piccolo let the words roll of his tongue, praying it would work. "He's going to want to go see Whis soon, and I already know he's going to take Gohan with him."

Videl bit her lower lip, trying to see what Piccolo was getting at. She opted with relaxing a little in her seat, waiting for him to explain further. "What does this all mean?"

"I can guarantee you that training with Whis won't be a 'come back home' every night deal. If he goes there to train, he's going to stay there for a long time. Without a word to any of us."

"A long...time?" Videl questioned, the words stinging her throat as she spoke them. She started playing with her heart charm again. "Well, you and me will just stop him from going, right? Right?"

Piccolo closed his eyes tightly as if he were in some sort of pain. He could feel Videl staring directly at his now exposed temple since she knocked his hat off. He removed one hand from the steering wheel and pounded it against his thigh, telling himself it was only right. "Don't quote me on this, but the only reason Gohan trains is to keep you and...Pan safe."

"Yes," she smiled sadly, her voice now a whisper. "We always feel safe with him."

 _Dammit... Just say it._

"We need to let him go."

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Videl opened her mouth to speak. Then closed it. Then opened it again, with a raised finger. "...I don't think I follow. You said he could be gone for a very long time.

"Yeah, I know what I said."

"What about work? What about Pan? Chi-Chi? Me?"

"And me," Piccolo admitted quietly, causing Videl to close her mouth and study him. "Look. I don't very much like the idea of him being so far away for whoever knows long, but everyone you said is the reason why he needs to go. I would have been against it years ago when he was a kid, but he's grown into a fighter. Whis is the only one now that can get him to where he needs to be. You and I both know there's far more worse people than Beerus that could come here any day. You think he wants to sit back doing nothing while you wonder if you're going to survive or not?"

Videl had grown silent to the point that not even her breathing could be heard. Her brows were knitted closely together, having never heard Piccolo speak so long before. Was she a bad wife for not wanting him to go? A bad mother for leaving her daughter without a father temporarily? "I honestly thought I was going to have a normal marriage there for a second."

Piccolo was quiet.

"I mean, a few crazy things now and then, but mostly normal," Videl shook her head and looked out the window at the empty lot. She fiddled her fingers against the arm rest, looking at her engagement and wedding rings. "But being with a man like Gohan, I guess normal is far out of my reach."

The driver glanced at her through his peripherals, trying to read her. Women were never his specialty. "I don't care about his reasons for it. I don't care what happens to you," he lied. "I just want him to go so he can keep himself alive."

But he'd sacrifice himself again and again for that nerd. He'd even keep watch over Videl and Pan while he was gone.

Nobody had to know that, though. As soon as this conversation was over, he was heading to the lookout to have a word with Bardock.

"I'll think about it, Pic-"

"Wait," he struck out his arm protectively in front of her, like what a mother does to a child when they're forced to brake too hard. "Something's coming!"

Videl let out a scream when the roof of the car suddenly started caving in, but Piccolo took off his seatbelt and punched it right back up. It caved back in. He punched it back up. It went on and on until a voice shouted,

"LET MY SISTER GO, PICCOLO!"

"Gotenks?" Videl blinked, but then screamed again when a black wristbanded fist came through the roof. The hole he created became bigger and bigger until his sassy face was revealed. The child fell through, landing in between Videl and Piccolo and wrapping either arm around their shoulders.

"Ew, Piccolo. What are you even wearing? What's a Postboy?"

"GET OUT!"

Videl squished herself against the door to avoid Piccolo and Gotenks as they started fighting. She realized the reason she struggled to open the door was because Piccolo still had the child-lock on. She pressed her cheek against the window and sighed heavily, thinking about what Piccolo had said.

* * *

"...And that's the whole story."

Master Roshi had to adjust his jaw that dropped after Bardock told him his story. At least replacing The Pendulum Room with being a time traveler. He didn't think the old man needed to know they weren't actually existing at the moment.

"I see..." he rubbed his beard, and then offered the Saiyan a beer to which he declined. "Well, as far as I know, your best bet to finding Jackie Chun will be at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Make sure you sign up soon before all the spots are taken up."

Bardock ran a hand through his already messy hair, but still ended up looking the same. It had been a rough, rough day. First with young Chi-Chi who had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for Kakarot, that fake Super Saiyan woman, then he had to decline Vegeta's teenage wife multiple times until he had to resort to calling her hideous. Now, Jackie Chun was definitely only available at the World Martial Arts Tournament.

"Look, when is this tournament? I don't have a lot of time on my hands."

"You're in luck, my boy!" he chuckled, taking another chug. "It's only two days away!"

"Two!?" Bardock kicked up the sand underneath his feet over and over again. When a crab appeared, he punted it far out into the sea. "Two damn days!? What the hell am I suppose to do during that time, huh?"

Roshi raised a finger, not threatened by the much taller and stronger man next to him. "Hold that thought, one of my pupils is finally returning."

Almost a little too desperately, Bardock look around for his son. Roshi vowed to not tell him who he really was, figuring it had a chance of messing up his training. Real or not, lie or not, he would finally get to see what his son was like as a boy.

At last, his eye caught sight of a figure in the moonlight swimming across the ocean and approaching the island quickly. Bardock frowned, remembering that Chi-Chi said Kakarot always traveled by the Nimbus Goten had used several times before learning to fly.

"Is it the bald one?"

"Don't hate on being bald," Roshi warned with a whistle, and aimed his crane at the top of Bardock's head. "You'll end up a bald man yourself one day."

"Tch," he scoffed. "Highly unlikely."

Coming up on the shore now, Krillin ran quickly over to his master and start jumping up and down. Bardock arched a brow when the turtle shell on his back caught his eye.

 _Sure is a short little shit. Guess he never grew._

"Master, Master!" the boy was nearly dancing. "Guess what!? I delivered all my cartons of milk before Goku _and_ beat him home!"

"Bullshit!"

Krillin looked up at the mysterious man who had just swore immediately, and blinked his eyes rapidly. He pointed a shaky finger at Bardock, looking at his master for some clarification. "Whoa... T-This guy l-looks like Goku!"

"WHO LOOKS LIKE ME!?" a cheerful voice came from up above, and all eyes were on a yellow cloud swirling in the dark sky. The boys had missed the sunset because they had a secret spar, but the Flying Nimbus was creating a light bright enough to make up for it. When the messy-haired child riding it had come hovering above the sandy beach, he hopped off and waved goodbye to his loyal source transportation.

Getting a strange feeling in his stomach that he hadn't felt since meeting Kakarot for the first time in his actual timeline, Bardock was beginning to grow tense. The child looked exactly the same as he did when he was a baby, just a little taller and a little chubbier.

But his tail was missing.

His damn tail was missing! Did that old man he first stayed with rip it away from him so soon!?

Before any words were spoken, Goku had hopped on Bardock's shoulders to touch his hair. "Hey! We do look alike! Wow," he laughed while still resting on his shoulders. "I must look really funny then."

"Brat," Bardock looked back at him, only causing the child to laugh more. "How'd you let Baldy beat you home?"

Baldy's eyes turned into slits. "Excuse me, the name's Krillin. And we don't have to tell a stranger anything! Isn't that right, Master?"

Bardock was finally beginning to see that Baldy was a kiss ass as a child. He'd have to make sure to make fun of him for it later. He remained silent, letting his son pick and prod him until Roshi finally answered Krillin.

"Now, now, Krillin. He's a very important guest and we'll treat him just like anyone else here. He's actually going to be entering the World Martial Arts Tournament, so you boys better watch out!"

Goku backflipped off of Bardock's head and landed in front of him. His eyes expanded as big as Dragon Balls. "You're going to enter the tournament!? Are you super strong!?"

Smirking a little, Bardock shrugged. He was struggling with showing off and beating up his currently inexperienced son since he'd never have the chance again, or let the kid keep believing he was going to win the tournament. As tempting as the first one sounded, this wasn't what he was here to do. Jackie Chun was the one to find and fight.

"I'm alright."

The kid frowned, and dropped his head a little. "Mmm. Bummer!" as quick as his head had dropped it had risen again with a smile too big for his face. "Oh, well! I'm still excited for the tournament! I'm STARVING, too!"

Bardock cursed under his breath, wishing that he had told the kid the truth. It's not like this would change anything, anyway. He followed behind the children with Master Roshi behind him. As he looked at the incredible shortness of his young son, he decided it would be at the tournament when he'd let him know.

The only possible opponent that could stand in their way is Jackie Chun.

The sleeping arrangements were made as soon as the Saiyans ate their fill, which completely disgusted the girls in the room. Master Roshi kept trying to make Bulma sleep in his bed, but she declined and bunked with Launch in hopes she wouldn't wake up in her sleep trigger happy. Chi-Chi, who was going to be in big trouble when she returned to Fire Mountain, Krillin, Goku, and Bardock all had their own spots around a table in sleeping bags.

Bardock pretended to be asleep, but was listening to the sound of his son's excitement as he told Baldy all about the types of fighting he'd hope to see. Baldy went on nervously, saying how he hoped he could beat his former classmates if given the opportunity. It hadn't occurred to him just how long these two had been together, including Chi-Chi. Nothing, at all, had really changed except for their bodies.

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself. "Dende, you better be on to something with this..."

"I like your watch," Chi-Chi whispered in Bardock's ear, causing him to jump. "It definitely looks like it's from the future."

"Damn you, Chi-Chi," Bardock moved his arm up to see his wrist and nearly gagged at the sight. "Damn you, Gohan."

Hearing her future son's name being said, Chi-Chi's eyes sparkled. She inched closer to the Saiyan, invading his personal space. "What did that silly ol' boy do now? Will I have to punish him for it in the future?"

"...Go to bed, kid. And _move._ This is my side of the floor."

Chi-Chi huffed and pouted, knowing that she couldn't always get her way. Instead of moving away, she placed her back against his, causing him to snarl like a sleeping dog that got disturbed. "Good night, meanie. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, meanie!" Goku laughed from the other side of the table that separated them. Bardock could see him underneath the piece of furniture, smiling at him. He reluctantly returned it.

"See ya, kid."

* * *

Goku woke up eagerly as soon as he heard the seagulls outside. He did a quick stretch and scratched his tummy before hopping over the table to land on Bardock. Instead, he landed on a neatly folded sleeping bag with a note on top.

 _Two days._

* * *

Wearing his green tracksuit, Gohan had finished a much needed run around Satan City. What a tiresome day it had been, from getting his car totaled by his former mentor and fused brother to finding out his father now had a cellphone for Bulma to call him whenever Whis showed up.

The young father frowned, searching his pocket for the house key. His mother wasn't going to like this one bit.

"Gohan, we need to talk."

The hybrid adjusted his glasses, seeing his wife sitting at the kitchen table in a dim light. He went behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck, kissing her temple first and her lips second. "Look, if it's about the whole car thing-"

"No, no, no!" Videl waved her hands in front of her frantically, and turned her chair around to face him. It was clear that she had been crying, and Gohan's worries only increased. "It's not that. It's about... us."

Starting to feel a little for some reason, Gohan unzipped his green jacket and tossed it behind her on the table. His white undershirt after sweating was outlining his newly toned muscles, but Videl was too occupied by the ring on his finger.

"What about 'us', Viddy?"

The woman resorted to biting her lower lip again. It had been days since Bardock went to the lookout, and nobody has heard a word from him. She was beginning to worry that he had gone to Beerus' planet, as well. If Goku got the call from Bulma soon, it wouldn't be long until he convinced his son to come along. She'd be without her main sources of protection.

Of course, her father would give his life for her. But she couldn't allow that to happen.

She took a deep, ragged breath. Gohan had been silent and watching her go through her thinking progress this entire time. "I'm just going to come out with it. If given the chance, would you train with Whis?"

The way that his eyes brightened a little when she brought up the idea gave her enough information to know his answer. He grabbed her small hands with his large ones, looking down at her.

"I mean, that's an incredible opportunity but... I don't know if I'm worthy."

Videl smiled sadly. Of course he didn't know about the amount of time they could be separated for. He would have brought that up right away. Somehow, he still believed he would be able to come home every night. She removed one hand away from his and reached up to hold his cheek, rubbing the rugged skin with her smooth thumb.

"The God of Destruction made you a friggin sword. I think that says enough."

When he blushed, she could feel it burning in her hand. "Well... I dunno... What do you think?"

"What do I think?" she repeated, and let go of his face. Her husband took a seat on her lap and rested his chin on top of her head like a little kid, forcing his legs to rock back and forth. "I think that you're capable of way more than you give yourself credit for."

Gohan chuckled and rubbed his cheek against her scalp, giving her a romantic noogie. "You want a god as your husband?"

"I prefer my Saiyaman, but I gotta roll with the punches."

The hybrid jumped off of her lap and got into one of his signature poses. The tips of his fingers touched the top of his shoulders while he squatted. "Hiya, ho! Here we go! I'm the man with the plan-"

"You really need to wear your sun glasses or helmet when you do that," she laughed harmonically and had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't wake Pan. "Those glasses you have on now make you go cross-eyed."

Gohan brought himself upright and crossed his arms over his chest. "What!? No way!"

Pink in the face, Videl nodded and crossed her own eyes to show him. "See? This is _exactly_ what you looked like."

"Oh, that's _it_!" he grumbled, and flung his wife over his shoulder. "I bet when I'm a god you won't disrespect me!"

When Videl wriggled her leg, she accidentally knocked off Gohan's glasses before they could make it up the stairs. The glasses rolled down the staircase until they hit the bottom. Going blind before he could make another step, the cross-eyed Great Saiyaman fell backwards, holding onto Videl tightly before they hit the first floor.

"Videl... I landed on my glasses..."

"I know."

"Stop laughing. You need to be my eyes and help me upstairs to our room. I literally can't see without my glasses."

"I'm too tired. Night, Grandma."

After a few quiet minutes, Videl was snoring on top of Gohan. The poor hybrid stared up at what he believed was the ceiling. Instead of calling his daughter for help, he decided to wrap his arms around the instigator and eventually fell asleep.

Pan woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and was unsure as to why her parents fell asleep at the bottom of the stairs. With a shrug of her small shoulders, she curled up right beside them.

* * *

"What's wrong, Goku?"

"Nothing... I just thought that that one guy with my hair would have been here, but he's not. He would have been really fun to fight!"

Krillin nodded, but on the inside he was cheering. The less competition, especially with that guy, the better. The little bald former monk looked around nervously at all of the competitors, and then tugged on the collar of the gi Master Roshi had given them. "I don't see how you and Yamcha can be so calm and confident. I'm sweating bullets here!"

Goku smiled cheerfully, and gave his friend a supportive pat on the back. "Don't worry about it! You already know you're going to make it through the preliminaries! Let's just sit back and watch the competition!"

Krillin fiddled with his thumbs for a minute as the next numbers were called. He hadn't noticed the next fighters were in the ring until an enormous amount of laughter filled up the entire room. The bald child looked up, and a huge sweatdrop appeared on his forehead.

"What in the world kind of outfit is that!?"

The boys tilted their heads, observing one of the fighter's attire. It was a brown tunic, white cape, red bodysuit, and a horrendous yellow helmet with antennas protruding from the sides.

"I don't know, but he looks pretty silly!" Goku laughed, but was excited to see how this silly dressed man was going to fight. He seemed to be serious despite everyone making fun of him, with his arms crossed over his chest and his mouth in the shape of a smirk.

The helmet guy's opponent was an enormous dinosaur-like creature, whose fangs were showing as he pointed a finger at his fighter. "HEY. You should be disqualified for your outfit! No helmets allowed! Isn't that right, judge?" Giran asked the referee on the sideline smugly.

The judge cleared his throat and spoke into his microphone. "Y-Yes, that's right. Number 71, will you please remove your helmet? Refusal to remove it will result in immediate disqualification."

A little curious about what he actually looked like, Goku leaned against the stage and watched with eager eyes as the fighter sighed. Once the helmet was removed, everyone was disappointed to see that he was wearing a white bandanna to cover his hair and sunglasses to cover his eyes.

"Happy?" he asked Giran, who stomped his foot on the ground.

"Too ugly to show your true self? What's your name, anyway? You look like a bathroom accident!"

While the dinosaur was too busy having a laugh, the bathroom accident walked right up to him. He moved his fist an inch away from the creature that towered over him. A quick movement of his wrist which was missed by many caused his bottom knuckles to strike the beast's belly, sending him hollering through the brick wall and onward.

"It's Saiyaman."

Stunned into silence, the fighters gaped at the fighter remaining while the judge ran out of the massive hole created to make sure Giran was, in fact, knocked out. As Saiyaman moved under the ropes to leave the ring, the fighters made a path for him. He made a brief stop in front of Goku and Krillin, giving them a small smile that caused the scar on his cheek to move, and then walked away to the waiting room.

Jackie Chun, the only other fighter so far that had knocked his opponent out of the ring, moved away from the entrance for Saiyaman.

As they passed by, they looked over their shoulders at one another. The only two men in the tournament with aliases had already intimidated the entire room.


	16. Never Good at Goodbyes

Goten didn't want to go home, but he knew no matter where he went arguments were happening. Trunks was getting punished for falling asleep during Piccolo's lecture and surely his father was still getting punished for wanting to go with Whis.

Forlornly, the boy paused inches from his door and looked up at the abundant stars.

"Grandpa... I wish you'd come home, already."

It had only been three days, but it was three days too long. The poor child never went a day without seeing him ever since he first arrived on this planet, and it honestly felt more worse than when Gohan moved out. Why did Dende have to go and steal him like that?

He looked down at his wrists, hoping that his grandpa was still wearing the navy wristband he had given him a few years ago and thinking about him. He doubled over and wrapped his arms around his small stomach as if he were in pain, and curled up on the grass.

"Dende?" his voice was quiet and weak, trying not to disturb whatever was going on inside the house. "Are you awake?"

It took a few minutes, but there was a faint chuckling sound. _What's up, Goten?_

"Can you bring back my grandpa, please?"

 _He'll be home tomorrow, little guy. He's in a very intense battle right now. Just have a little more patience!_

The boy groaned, and pulled his knees closer into his chest. Brief was fun to have around and all, definitely going to be cool training with him, but it was nothing compared to his grandpa.

"Goten?"

"I'm done, Dende. You can go to sleep."

"I'm... not Dende," the voice behind him laughed. "What are you doing out here?"

In one move, Goten brought himself to his feet to see Tarble standing there with Gure. He frowned when he noticed they were each holding two things of luggage. "Oh great, where are _you_ going!?"

Tarble shifted his eyes, making sure nobody had heard him. He placed a finger on his lips and lowered his voice. "I'm going to Bulma's house for our ships. It's time for us to go back home. We've been away for too long."

Goten threw his hands up in the air, not believing his long. He turned his back on the ditchers, not even bothering to question them any further. "Fine, leave. Leave like all the others!"

Tarble looked at Gure, who shrugged her little shoulders. The brother of Vegeta placed his luggage on the ground and tapped the child on the back. "Are you alright, Goten?"

The boy could already be heard sniffling, and sure enough his eyes were watering up when he turned to look at Tarble with the saddest pair of eyes he'd ever seen. "N-No... I," sniff. "Miss... my... GRANDPA!"

Never being the one to deal with children, Tarble pulled at the collar of his royal armor. Reluctantly, he pulled the child into him. It was even more awkward that they were the same height. Still, he allowed the boy to sob into him.

"And then... Daddy's gonna leave, Gohan's gonna leave, Mr. Piccolo's never around! Uncle Vegeta left! You're leaving!"

Tarble patted his back, frowning now. He knew this kid was very close to his family. Perhaps he was beginning to feel abandoned. "Goten, it's going to be okay! This is actually a good thing!"

Curiously, Goten pulled back to look at him with his puffy face. "How."

"Well... Just think about it! You get to be the man of the house. You're going to be the one they look to when they get scared, or, uh... need someone to bring firewood home!" Tarble was beginning to grow confident, and turned his voice up to the next volume. "And if you keep them all safe and keep training and grow stronger and stronger, just imagine how happy everyone is going to be when you come back!"

Goten sniffed once. Twice. A third time. "What about you, Tarble. Will you be proud of me."

"Of course!"

The boy smiled, and gave his momentary guest a tight hug. "Thank you for keeping us company, Tarble. Do you think you'll come back soon?"

The younger prince nodded while picking up his luggage. "Oh, I wouldn't doubt it. Since I'm not very good at goodbyes, do you think you could tell your mom I left her something on our bed?"

"I'll make it my destiny!"

Tarble grinned, and gave his messy hair a good ruffle. "You're a good boy, Goten. I'll see you soon, alright?"

After Goten had waved goodbye to both Tarble and Gure, he quietly entered his house. He expected to see bloodshed for some reason, but only found his mother sitting on the couch looking at something. Silently, he sat beside her and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Hi, Mama. What are you doing?"

"Looking over old pictures," she whispered and kissed his forehead before allowing it to rest against her again. "I never realized how little I had filled up in this photo album. I put in the pictures from Christmas and Gohan's wedding, and I still have so much room."

Goten mouthed 'oh' and watched as she turned the blank pages. "Mama?"

"Yes, Goten?"

"What happened with Daddy? Is he dead? Why's it so quiet in here?"

Chi-Chi closed the album and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. She wriggled her arm lose from Goten only to wrap it around him tightly. "I told him he could go."

"What!?" Goten looked up at her wide-eyed and disbelieving. "No way!"

"Mmhm," she nodded. The son didn't say anything, but it looked like her wrinkles grew ten times in one day because of the arguments. "And he's not dead. He's asleep right now."

Sensing that there was something she wasn't telling him, Goten stood up and tugged on her arm gently. "Tarble left you something on his bed. Wanna go check it out?"

Chi-Chi wrapped a blanket around her dainty shoulders before opening the door to the outside world. She trudged through the wild grass with her youngest son following closely behind until they reached the shed that had been Tarble's home for the last five years. The door was unlocked as she turned the knob, and found that it was as clean as it first was.

"Right there, Mama!" Goten smiled, and pointed at the sweet purple roses resting on the bed for two and a little note.

Chi-Chi held the bouquet close to her chest, giving it a good sniff. Goten's heart felt better when he saw her features soften. With her free hand, she grabbed the note off the bed and read it aloud for her son to hear.

"Miss Chi-Chi, thank you for everything. You truly are a remarkable woman and we are so grateful for what you have done over the years. We needed to go back home to see Gure's family she left behind, but I will return again. Please take good care of yourself. Love, Tarble and Gure."

"Awh!" Goten beamed, feeling proud that someone else recognized how great his mother was. "I'm really going to miss those guys!"

Chi-Chi tucked the note into her shirt and took her son's hand, hoping that he wasn't too old for this yet. When he squeezed back, she looked down at him. "Has anyone told you lately that you're a good boy?"

"Yup! Ten minutes ago!

* * *

"What's your dad doing?"

"Waiting for Bulma to call him. He literally just sits there and stares at that phone all day."

Gohan and Videl were sitting outside of the cottage on Mount Paozu eating Chi-Chi's famous rice while Goku sat hunched over his phone that Bulma had given him. Not even Trunks and Goten, who were sparing each other a few feet away, were that obsessed with technology. At the same time the air had grown silent, the phone started ringing.

Goku jumped up, holding his hair in his hands and looking at Gohan desperately. The boy sighed, and pressed the 'answer' button for him. Holding the phone upside down and far away from his ear, the messy-haired hero shouted,

"Bulma!?"

"Whis is here-"

"YES!" Goku cheered, and crushed the device to small pieces. His eldest son pinched the bridge of his nose, not believing that his father had just obliterated such an expensive phone. "COME ON, GOHAN! WHIS IS BACK ON EARTH!"

Gohan looked around at all of his family celebrating just a normal lunch. The future and present Trunks were trying to mirror each other for Goten's amusement, while Pan shared pieces of pie with Videl and Gine. His mother was somewhere inside the house, always preparing something and never getting to enjoy herself like she should.

"...Right now, Dad?"

Goku slapped himself in the forehead. "Oh, you're right! How could I forget! We have to turn you into a Super Saiyan God to make sure you're up to par!"

"No, Dad, that's not-"

The father was already hurdling up the available Saiyans, feeling overwhelmed that there were too many and was having trouble counting. Goku held hands with Gohan and Gine, while Gine held Goten's hand. Goten's other hand was being held by Trunks and Trunks' available hand went to Pan. The young daughter beamed up at her father before holding his, excited for the transformation everyone keeps talking about.

Gohan looked nervously at Goku, who offered him a 'don't-worry-you'll-be-great' grin. The golden aura from the men becoming Super Saiyans, and a blue light escaping Gine's heart and Pan's who hadn't achieved that level, dancing around the circle. As hard as she tried to focus, the young Pan couldn't help but be amazed by the encirclement of their purity. It rose Gohan to the sky, and for a moment everyone was blinded by the blue light that surrounded him.

Once the light had faded, it was clear that the Gohan he once knew was gone.

"Wow..." little Pan breathed out, looking at a red-haired Gohan. It truly did appear as if he were on fire with an enormous power that nobody could feel except Goku. With his muscle mass decreased, he looked about five years younger. His glasses had broken in the process, but it didn't look like his sight was damaged at all.

Gohan, a Super Saiyan God...

"Alright, perfect!" Goku looked his son up and down, and then rubbed his hands together like a little kid. "I can't wait to duke it out on Beerus' planet, son! This is so exciting! Let's go, let's go!"

"WAIT!"

Goku cringed mid-forehead touching, and turned around reluctantly to see his wife standing in the doorway. She was hiding something behind her back. "Awh, Chi-Chi! You said yesterday I could go!"

"I know, I know! It's just you said the Super Saiyan God thing is temporary, right?"

Goku, now back on the grass next to his son and the other hybrids, looked at her suspiciously. What _was_ she hiding behind her back? "...Yeah... Why?"

The wife raised the item behind her back proudly and highly, now completely out of the doorway and standing before the strong men. "I need to get a picture of Gohan for our photo album while I can!"

The father-son duo fell over, only earning a call from Chi-Chi to hurry up and get back on their feet to smile. Goku hesitated as she began focuses in on them, unsure if Whis was still going to be there by the time this was over. But then, she snapped the first shot and squealed at how well it apparently came out. Seeing as this brought her joy for whatever strange reason she had, Goku posed like a mythological god for laughs.

"Ooh! Ooh! That's good!" she pointed at her red-haired son, now acting like a professional photographer. "Now Gohan, do your Saiyaman pose!"

The freshly made god rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "Which one, Mom?"

"How about this one!?" Goten paused in front of his father and did the squatting pose with his finger tips on his shoulders. He laughed, "This one is my favorite!"

"I DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT!" Gohan fumed, begging his wife for some help but the damn backstabber was giggling.

"You gotta go cross-eyed, Goten!"

"STOP!"

Being a god _didn't_ give him respect, after all.

* * *

The years spent on Earth had proven to be very enjoyable and a learning experience, Tarble concluded. He found it easier to leave while everyone was too caught up in their own training. He was never great at goodbyes, but at least he was able to share an embrace with Goten and leave a gift for Chi-Chi in the shed that had been his and Gure's home.

The younger brother of Vegeta glanced at the radar on the control panel, making sure his wife was still traveling right behind her. That genius sister-in-law of his had fixed up his Saiyan ship and made an exact duplicate for Gure. Once he saw her signal blinking in sync beside him, he leaned back in his seat.

If only he hadn't been separated from Vegeta so young and for so long, they could have at least worked together to be close again. His brother was far, far out of his league in terms of...well, everything. Still, Tarble loved him regardless and would always have respect for the older prince.

The younger prince pressed a button to open the shutter, now able to look at the stars from the window. It had been so long since he was able to enjoy the pristine view, floating through an endless mass of black beauty and diamond-like celestial bodies.

He was able to enjoy it for about ten minutes.

His ship, with Bulma's improvement, was traveling way faster than the enormous vessel he began passing by. Despite the many years that had passed, he recognized it immediately. The short Saiyan frantically removed the scouter that was hidden under his wrist, still not trusting his brother's ki-reading after all these years. He placed it on his face and looked directly at the ship, hoping there was some mistake.

Tarble could hear his heart beating through his ears, and clutched his chest. He twisted his entire body around to look back at the large, round spaceship after passing it completely, and wasn't sure if he was relieved to see it heading in the direction opposite of Earth or completely scared shitless to know that was their next destination right after.

Knowing his wife wasn't wearing a scouter, Tarble punched the intercom that connected to her ship and spoke as calmly as he could into the microphone despite sweaty palms.

"Gure, we need to turn around immediately and go back."

"But the route is pre-set! We'll have to land somewhere and start over again to do that."

"Then that's what we'll do," Tarble said firmly, and gripped onto the control panel. "There's no time to waste."

"O...Kay," she sounded uneasy, but Tarble could hear her fingers tapping the keyboard on the control panel rapidly. "It looks like we'll be approaching the next planet on our path soon. Shall we land there."

"Yes."

"Can I ask what this is all about, or do I just have to assume my husband's crazy?"

Tarble removed the scouter from his face, silently stunned by the number he had seen on the small screen before crushing it into pieces. The being that had caused his father and brother turmoil for more than half their lives was alive despite the stories he had heard on Earth. Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Bardock were all gone, but his word might be enough to get everyone on the planet he had come to love prepare early before evil reared its ugly, ugly head.

"Frieza."

* * *

It's so unfair.

All he wanted in life was to rule the universe so it wouldn't have to suffer from imbeciles and weaklings. Was that so wrong?

That damn King Yemma. This was cruel and unusual punishment. If he ever escaped this cocoon, the red bastard would be next on his hit list right after Son Goku. He gritted his teeth together, unable to do anything except that and scowling.

If only his scowl was powerful enough to kill the little fairy in front of him.

"What's wrong with you, Grumpy Pants? Why aren't you watching the show!?"

"So help me, if you spin me around, I'll rip those wings right off your back and use them to choke you."

The little fairy threw her head back, examining the mean-faced creature with squinted eyes. When she was wreathed in smiles, the one in the cocoon groaned. "You see, this is exactly why you're in here. Maybe if you would show a little kindness every now and then, you'd be free!"

"I'm going to murder you."

"Uh-ohhh! Time to spin somebody around to face the music!"

"NO! DAMN YOU, I'LL-"

The remainder of his threat was blocked out by the sound of little toy drums and saxophones as the band of stuffed animals and fairies played him a song. The only defense he had was to close his eyes tightly, and pretend he was anywhere but Hell.

"Frieza..."

He snarled, watching a golden-haired monkey taunt him.

Not even in his own mind was he safe. Everything was Hell. His eyes were open, Hell. Eyes closed, Hell. Hell, Hell, Hell.

"Mark my words, Saiyan," he seethed. "My day will come. I'll make your life Hell after you've lost everything."

His dark chuckle started off quietly, and then got louder until it was a maniacal laughter. The band stopped playing to look up at the seemingly joyous alien, and quickly joined in until everyone was laughing.

"Die, Saiyan, die!" he hissed. "Your son will die, your friends will die! EVERYBODY DIES!"

"Yay! We all will get pies!"

"I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU FIRST!"


	17. The Great Saiyaman

"Ahem."

The two Nameks, one of which was rarely caught off guard, jumped around to see Beerus' attendant had arrived on the lookout that once belonged to Kami. A thin white eyebrow of his arched up, and a low but kind chuckle followed.

"Oh, Dende, how could you possibly forget I was coming back today?"

Piccolo looked down at Earth's guardian, wondering the same thing. How the hell could he have kept _this_ a secret!? Whis was on everyone's list these days, but the very last person he'd expect to, well, expect Whis would be Dende.

The shorter of the two Nameks rubbed the back of his neck, appearing to be more red than green in the face. "S-Sorry, sir, I just can't believe a week has come and gone already!"

"Indeed," Mr. Popo added, and even went as far as to offer the humanoid a bowl of rice mixed with vegetables. "Would you care for some food?"

With Bulma waiting on him down below with some of that delectable 'pizza', Whis thought about turning his nose away until it got kissed by the scent of the stir fry. His stomach growled at the same time, convincing him to take it. The mighty mentor shrugged his shoulders, causing his black cuirass to move. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt..."

Piccolo and Dende stood blinking at Whis as he downed the bowl faster than Goku, yet somehow remained graceful through the entire ordeal. The taller Namek cleared his throat once the empty bowl was handed back down to Popo, who ran it back to his kitchen area.

"Since nobody else is going to explain, I guess I'll have to ask. What are you doing here, Whis? Have you come to take Gohan?"

"Gohan?" Whis deadpanned as his eyes shifted. It took him a second to remember which one Gohan was, but thankfully a powerful sword was connected to that name. "Oh, Gohan! No... Although... I _do_ sense another god nearby. That's very interesting, don't you think?"

Piccolo looked away from his smiling face, wondering if Whis was just toying with them or really wasn't going to train Gohan. "If you're not here to take anyone back with you, then what's the deal? Just a rest stop?"

Before Whis could correct the serious Namek, Dende spoke up at last. He looked at Piccolo guiltily, knowing that he should have told him Whis was coming way before he ever arrived on the lookout.

"He actually came to check on Bardock. You see," Dende rubbed his arm then pointed in the direction of the Pendulum Room. "Roshi told me back at Bulma's party a while ago that Bardock's been training under him and searching for Jackie Chun. That fighter was only active during the World Martial Arts Tournaments back in the day. So, I decided to send him to the twenty-first tournament while Whis came to the lookout days before saying not to let him out until his final form appeared."

Piccolo's eyes narrowed while Whis let out a giant yawn. "His final form? As far as I'm aware, the only reason he's been searching for Jackie Chun is to become an ascended Super Saiyan."

What was so special about that, that the strongest fighter in the universe had come all this way to look at it?

"No, Piccolo!" Dende smiled kindly, and held his hands out in front of him to show he meant no harm. "Don't you remember? You were right there with me when it happened. The golden colored ape... Ring a bell?"

It was a faint memory, but luckily the Namek inherited the genius mind of Kami to visualize it perfectly. It had happened twice; once on Earth and again on Supreme Kai's planet. It was never used again after that for whatever strange reasoning the monkey-tailed Saiyan had. The past few years have been dedicated to a Super Saiyan 2 transformation that so far seemed out of reach.

"Alright, alright. But it still doesn't answer my question," the Namek settled his dark orbs on the humanoid who was looking over his shoulder at the Pendulum Room. "What interest do you have in seeing a golden monkey?"

Whis shook his head and laughed. The Namek truly didn't care who he talked to, very similar to the demeanor of the one named Bardock. "I'm starting to understand why you two fused all those years ago."

Flustered, Piccolo shook his fist while Dende sweatdropped. "HEY! We don't talk about that anymore!"

"Well, I don't see why not. It was pretty impressive while it lasted," Whis showed no signs of sarcasm as he strolled right by the Nameks. His line of vision only held the Pendulum Room where the man of the hour was currently lost in time. "A tad unappealing to the eye, but impressive."

Dende jogged ahead of Beerus' teacher so he was able to open the door to the mysterious room for him. Whis bowed slightly to Earth's guardian, thankful for his politeness. Dende remained holding the door open until Piccolo decided to leave his spot at the edge of the lookout to join them.

"I'm not sure if I like this, Dende. Don't you find it strange?"

The shorter, younger Namek chuckled. "I tend not to question life anymore when it throws you a being more powerful than a god."

Piccolo twitched his nose and entered the room at last. He stood a good distance away from Whis, although the two were nearly leaning over the railing of the upper level to look down at the Saiyan currently on a mind-trip.

Bardock was standing perfectly still on the platform, save the bushy tail behind him swishing madly instead of wrapped tightly around his waist. It looked as if they could touch and he'd start fighting back instantly, but he was totally out of commission. Occasionally, his hands would twitch or mimic a fighting pose but nothing more. He was the most silent he'd ever been since Piccolo first met the savage.

Dende cleared his throat and motioned the two over to a circular device resting on a large stand. "We've made a few changes to this room since you and Kami merged, so you might not recognize it. You just look down and you'll see what's going on Bardock's mind right now! Pretty cool, huh!?"

The guardian looked up at the much taller visitors excitedly, hoping they'd somehow show the same enthusiasm. On the screen below, they could see the Saiyan fighting a filthy, ugly human that towered over him.

"Oh my," Whis narrowed his eyes and pointed at Bardock. "What in the world is he wearing?"

Piccolo kept his mouth shut, but sweatdropped for the Great Saiyaman. The ends of his bandanna, instead of hanging loose, were wrapped around his nose and mouth to fight off the stench of the rather unimpressive opponent.

"Yeah... I don't think I want to watch this."

"Here, here!" Whis left Dende's prized possession that he made specifically to impress the humanoid, leaving the guardian heartbroken. Whis glared down at Bardock's still body and made a 'hmph' sound under his breath. "How much longer until he's done?"

Dende rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his imaginary watch. "I'd say...five hours?"

"Five more hours, you say?" Whis clicked his tongue and wrapped his fingers around his staff. "Well... I'll just have to eat my pizza slowly."

Dende and Piccolo exchanged looks as the humanoid disappeared, leaving them to wonder exactly what the hell that meant.

XX

* * *

No longer a Saiyan named Bardock, the man hiding behind a pair of sunglasses studied the names and numbers on the board in front of him. His messy spikes had miraculously remained under control, never once causing his white bandanna to come loose. A single bead of sweat lingered on his forehead as he gently touched his number on the board and traced it with a steady finger.

"So I'm number two..." he moved his finger over to number one and squinted at the finely written name. "...And my opponent is... Bacteria?"

"I think that says 'Bacterian', Mr. Saiyaman!" the blonde announcer whispered as he tapped the strangely dressed hero on the shoulder. "I have to go on the ring right now and make the announcement. You ready?"

Saiyaman's eyes widened as he looked at the blonde man through his dark sunglasses. "Shit, you never age, do you?"

A little smugly, the announcer chuckled and ran the hand not holding the microphone through his hair. "Ah, so you must have watched the previous World Martial Arts Tournaments, eh? It's all in the genes, my good man!"

Saiyaman gave him a weak smile. It truly was impressive that this announcer looked exactly the same as he did at the tournament which was never completed because of the bastard Shin. At last, Bardock was finally going to have a chance to fight in one.

"Yeah. I'm ready now."

With his large arms crossed in front of his chest, Saiyaman watched as the announcer ran up the stairs to the ring and began doing his thing. He excited the crowd; continuously causing them to roar from the way he hyped up the opponents. He began chuckling quietly at the scene until he felt someone tugging on his pant leg.

Kakarot was giving him a smile that completely consumed the child's face.

"Wow, Mr. Saiyaman! That was so crazy what you did to Giran! I don't think I've ever seen _anyone_ fly through a brick wall like that before!"

"Yeah, well," the adult smirked and held his nose up proudly. His young son was looking at him with the same eyes as Goten, those damn eyes that sparkle and grow every second that they're stared at. "It just comes with age, kid."

Goku tilted his head slightly when the strange hero said the 'k' word, having heard it spoken very similarly from someone else before. The poor child didn't have logic as a strong point, so he just shrugged and turned his attention to the ring.

"In the first match, we have Saiyaman versus Bacterian!" the crowd let out another holler as the announcer waved his microphone around wildly. "In the second match, Jackie Chun and Krillin are going head to head in what's sure to be a vicious battle!"

Goku looked over his shoulder to see Krillin looking down at his feet nervously, scuffing them against the pavement that belonged to the waiting area. The fighter named Jackie Chun was oogling the only female fighter of the tournament, not even interested in what the announcer was saying.

The child pouted. "Hmm. That Jackie Chun guy seemed crazy strong during the preliminaries, but right now he doesn't look like much of a competition. I think Krillin is going to get him good!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, kid. I've heard some...stories about Chun. Don't judge him by the ugly mug."

The child blinked a couple times, waiting to see if the Saiyaman was going to say anything else. When he didn't, Goku listened to the announcement of Yamcha's fight against the woman Ranfan.

"And last but certainly not least for the quarter-finals, we have Nam versus... Gakao? Gokau?" the announcer looked at his small index card and squinted hard. He blushed, realizing his mistake. "Ahem, sorry about that folks. It's Go-ku! Nam versus Goku! Alright! Saiyaman! Bacterian! Please join me in the ring so we can begin the TWENTY FIRST WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT!"

The sound of the wild banging of gongs and various balloons exploding in the air followed by fireworks caused the crowd to go nuts. Pieces of confetti that came raining down from a balloon above got stuck on a grumpy fighter's lip.

"Idiot," Saiyaman mumbled but then decided to bite his tongue. He couldn't read the name of his opponent either, come to think of it. Speaking of opponent, which one was Bacterian again?

"Outta the way, small fry!" a brutish voice, and violent smell, came sneaking up on Bardock quicker than he could prepare for. The undercover Saiyan gagged as the large and smelly beast known as Bacterian shoved him out of the way. At this point, the announcer and several of the tournament's workers were wearing gas masks so they could manage to breath around the savage.

"Oh, jeez!" Krillin was joined at Goku's side now and holding his hands around his neck as if he were choking on the stench. "That guy smells horrible! Blech! I'm so glad I'm not fighting that guy!"

"But Krillin," Goku looked at his friends with watery eyes. "How can you tell? You don't have a nose!"

The bald child's eyes lit up as he quickly removed his hands from his throat. He raised his chin up proudly and pointed a smug finger at Saiyaman. "Oh, yeah! I guess I would be the perfect person to fight that guy! Sucks for you, Saiyaman!"

The adult mumbled inaudible profanity and wrapped the long ends of his bandanna around his face so that now only his sunglasses and black eyebrows were showing. "Dammit all. I could kill this guy in one flick of my finger if it weren't for that smell," his eyes were watering from behind his shades as he talked to himself while walking up the stairs to the ring. "I suppose I would get disqualified for killing him, too..."

The bandanna wasn't helping at all. Just looking at the guy wanted to make him puke. Flies buzzed around his greasy body that smelled of sewer waste, snot was dripping out his nose at the same rate drool was falling out of his mouth, and his teeth were yellower than Saiyaman's belt.

"Haven't you ever heard of a little thing called hygiene!?" the bell had already gone off to begin the match, but Bardock was still in his fight against the smell. "I go days without showering, sure, but for fuck's sake! What the hell is all of... _this_!?"

Bacterian laughed loudly, pounding on his chest as he did so. He got into a sumo wrestler's stance and slapped his hands against his thighs. "This is why I never lose, puny man! I think I might give you my killer move right away to put you and that mouth out of misery!"

With each word and laugh the beast produced, the stench increased. Bardock closed his eyes for a moment, imagining what he could do. From where he stood, he could ki blast the idiot out of the ring in seconds. Hell, even a Super Saiyan power up could blow him away.

Strangely, the Saiyan wanted to keep his powers limited.

This period in time was... a bit too fragile for all of that. Even if it was all in his head.

Plus, all those things could kill Bacterian and Bardock still hadn't had the opportunity to face Jackie Chun.

 _Think, moron, think... What's going to knock this bastard out without causing too much chaos?_

Like a light bulb, Bardock's eyes lit up from behind his sunglasses. Bacterian continued to laugh, but ceased all sounds once Saiyaman began removing his boots. With his gas mask on, the announcer spoke uncertainly into the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe Saiyaman is... trying to outstench Bacterian with his foot odor?"

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" Bardock snapped, causing the crowd to gasp. He placed both white boots side by side with his socks inside of them near the edge of the ring and raised his hands above his head. From behind the white bandanna, the scarred warrior began laughing like a mad man.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I now believe that Saiyaman is... posing? Posing!? YES! YES! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, SAIYAMAN IS POSING BAREFOOT!"

Bacterian placed his hands on his hips and flashed his rotting teeth at the opponent. "Oh, little girly man is a dancer, huh!?"

Not able to speak due to the art of yoga having him hold in his breath, Bardock had finished simple stretches to make sure he was good before inching closer to Bacterian. Looking like a stick balancing on a single log, Saiyaman had turned his back to the beast so that when his foot struck out straight, the strong foot of a Saiyan forced itself against Bacterian's exposed stomach and sent him into the audience.

A few girls he had landed on were screaming and crying, knowing that it would take months to get the stench of him out of their hair. The medical support, wearing their protective masks, had used all their strength to place the giant on the stretcher.

"Uh..." the announcer blinked, watching as Saiyaman was no longer balancing on one foot and was putting his boots back on. After a moment of silence, he smiled brightly and pumped his fist in the air. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I DON'T BELIEVE IT! SAIYAMAN HAS WON BY DOING...YOGA! YOGA, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! That's a first for the World's _Martial Arts_ Tournament!"

"Thank you Chi-Chi," Saiyaman finally breathed out. Bacterian had was laying unconscious on the stretcher, something that was bound to happen once Saiyaman was able to get over the stench. Looking down at the sleeping stink bag, he found it hilarious that at this moment in time he could kill every single person at this tournament if he truly wanted to.

At the same time, it was kinda... fun giving this crowd a good show.

He scanned the faces as the announcer held his hand up high, and at last caught site of the helmeted child. She was sitting on her father's shoulder, now allowed to follow Goku and friends around as long as he was there. The girl flashed him a thumbs up, somehow knowing the true identity of Saiyaman.

 _This damn watch..._

* * *

After the unfortunate first round knockout against Jackie Chun, Krillin was relieved to know he could still stand among the fighters instead of the crowd. The boy had been beaten, knocked out cold actually, but at least he was able to prove himself against his old classmates that teased and bullied him.

There was no sweeter revenge.

Able to relax with that thought, Krillin relaxed on his seat to watch Yamcha prepare for his first round.

"How do you think Bulma's going to feel with you going up against that foxy lady?" the bald child asked, and wriggled his eyebrows. The scarred desert bandit automatically cringed at the mention of his girlfriend's name.

"It's gonna be another night on the yard if I touch her, I tell you that now!" Yamcha wiped his nervous and sweaty palms against the seam of his orange pants while Saiyaman rolled his eyes beneath the sunglasses. "Man, this sucks! I've gotta hit the girl, but if I lay a finger on her, I just know Bulma's going to take it the wrong way! But if I don't..."

The teenager let out a frustrated groan, causing Saiyaman to groan in agony. He was getting absolutely sick of this little kid drama, and never figured Kakarot's friends could be any more annoying until he found their younger selves.

"Look, kid!" he removed himself from the wall he was leaning on and placed a firm hand on Yamcha's shoulder. "You need to shut up now. I've got a pretty damn good feeling that girl of yours isn't going to end up being your mate. You need to focus on fighting before you end up..."

Saiyaman's voice trailed off, not sure what to say after that. He awkwardly removed his hand and used it to rub the back of his neck. The Yamcha he knew in the future was pony-tailed, beer-bellied, and living off the money he made as a baseball player.

"That's it!?" Yamcha threw his hands up in the air as the bathroom-accident superhero walked away. "That's all the advice you're going to give me!? You threw a damn pterodactyl through the wall!"

Saiyaman stopped once he reached Jackie Chun, who was checking out Yamcha's competition. The lovely, well-curved woman known as Ranfan threw a wink in their direction as she reapplied her lipstick. From the way his tongue hung out to the howling sound he made, Saiyaman was absolutely positive about who this mysterious fighter was.

The ki even at this point in time was extremely familiar and hard to deny after spending so much time with the old man. When he saw Jackie for the first time during the preliminaries, he had to go into the bathroom to vent his frustration of knowing how long that damn Roshi lied to him by breaking sinks and ripping the doors off the stalls.

Despite the revelation, Saiyaman needed to know more. Kakarot had told him the story of his first crushing defeat against this old man, when clearly his son was more than capable of destroying him. He _had_ to fight him. He had to learn.

 _I don't know why you're hiding your true self. How much power are you hiding, old man..._

"Ranfan and Yamcha, please make your way to the ring!"

When Jackie Chun released another howl and even attempted to spank the woman as she passed, Saiyaman decided to give the human teenager some attention. He struck the white boot of his costume out, nearly tripping the upcoming fighter.

"What the heck's your problem!?" Yamcha kicked his foot out of the way and hooded his eyes. There was something about this Saiyaman character that really pushed his buttons. "Oh, you wanna offer me some more sound advice!?"

"Don't puss out."

Yamcha grabbed Saiyaman by the collar of his red undersuit while Ranfan had already made her way to the ring. Too many of the fans were awestruck by her that they didn't care about the opponent not being there yet.

"Puss out!? Puss out!? I never puss out of anything!" the bandit kept a tight grip on Saiyaman, letting his anger get him pumped up for the fight. He could see his face in the weirdo's sunglasses, and man, did he look badass. "That's it! I'm going to win this fight no matter what so I have the chance to knock you out! Be ready for me!"

Not amused by his antics, Saiyaman was monotone. "Don't even stress yourself, kid. The final match is going to be between me and Kakar-Goku."

The bandit wanted to say more, but instead turned red and stomped away. He didn't need this stress in his life right now while his opponent was strutting her stuff around the ring. She was making the women jealous, particularly a teenager with blue hair, and causing the men to fall in love with her. Yamcha could feel his face growing hotter the more he looked at her.

"WHAT ARE YA STARING AT, YAMCHA!?" the familiar voice of his girlfriend came from the crowd, causing him to stiffen and avoid all contact in that direction. He didn't want to see her killer face. "LIKE WHAT YA SEE OR SOMETHING!?"

The beautiful Ranfan blew the boy a kiss, and Yamcha nervously tugged at his orange scarf. "H-Hey," his voice cracked as he spoke to the announcer. "Can we get this started already?"

The blonde man made a signal with his hands, and the sound of the gong was heard. Still blushing, Yamcha glared at the woman as she continued to wink and flirt with her eyes.

 _Damn it...Why aren't you attacking!? I have to go first, then... Why me!?"_

Yamcha cleared his throat, trying to ignore the fact he was about to punch a beautiful girl. He drew his hand back and charged towards her, but was stopped by her sudden wailing. Frozen with his fist in the air, the woman had fallen to her knees and was crying wildly.

"Oh, I can't believe you'd hit a lady! What kind of man are you!?"

"Wh-what!? I didn't-"

"WHAT THE HELL, YAMCHA!" Bulma screamed from the audience, and Bardock looked at her from over the rope. She was looking exactly like her future husband with her veins popping out of her forehead and her fist pounding the air. "GET HER WHILE SHE'S DOWN!"

"Your mate is right, kid!" Saiyaman called out, just not as loud as Bulma. "What the fuck, don't look at me! Look at-"

Ranfan had kicked Yamcha on the side of his neck while he was getting distracted by the observers. The teenage boy had let out a yell, suddenly getting a barrage of punches from a manicured fist.

"-her... Dammit, Yamcha."

Feeling himself being backed towards the grass, Yamcha shook his head violently and gulped. Praying that Earth's guardian would forgive him for hitting a woman, the teenager formed his hands into a claw-like shape and prepared his back leg to help him launch towards Ranfan. "WOLF FANG FIST!"

Saiyaman nodded in approval as the desert bandit could only be described as looking like a wolf, kicking the woman backwards so she became startled and then began clawing at her. He finished the move with a double-palm strike to her delicate face.

"Why the hell has he never used that technique before in my time!? That's some good shit!"

Apparently, the bandit had held back his full strength. Ranfan managed to catch herself before falling into the grass, and flashed devilish eyes at her opponent. Slowly, she began removing her shoes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe Ranfan is going to do yoga poses!"

"Oh, baby!" Jackie Chun could be heard whistling in the background.

"No, you fool!" the woman's voice turned hostile to lustful within seconds. She set her mascara outlined eyes on the trembling young man before her, and unzipped her tight shorts. "I'm going to put a show on for this strong boy..."

As she began stripping down to her underclothes, Saiyaman was soon joined by Jackie Chun against the ropes. The old fighter was drooling and hollering, trying to catch the attention of the young Ranfan.

"Boooooy, I sure am lucky I didn't have to fight HER! I'd be out in seconds if you catch my drift!"

Saiyaman hooded his eyes as the old man's nose began to bleed. Could he make it anymore obvious? Ignoring the few-years younger version of his master, Bardock cupped his hands and shouted at Yamcha.

"Just knock her out! Don't hide your strength! I want to see you in the next round!"

"Yeah!" Goku finally chimed in. If the bandit won this fight, and Goku won his, they would face each other. "Come on, Yamcha! Why are you sweating so much!?"

Their words didn't seem to be enough for Yamcha to snap out of his trance. What was the poor boy to do!? Girls terrified the hell out of him, and now this scantily clad female was strutting towards him with no place to go! But gosh, was she attractive... No, no, no! He had a girlfriend! A girlfriend that was right in the audience probably mad as hell! He was crazy about her! He just needed a sign that it was okay to hit her and-

"YAMCHA, IF YOU DON'T KICK HER ASS, WE ARE THROUGH!"

Ranfan landed face down on the grass in seconds.

* * *

The quiet nights on Mount Paozu was when it hit Goten the hardest.

His small cottage contained himself, his mother, his grandmother, and Lucy. That was all. No, that wasn't bad. He just missed everyone else terribly. No Gohan, no Videl, no Pan, no Dad, and most importantly no Grandpa.

Lucifer seemed to miss him too. For the first time since they've owned her, Lucy cuddled in Goten's lap and meowed sadly. The twelve year old was sitting on the dewy grass and looking at the numerous stars that filled the country sky, wondering which one his brother and dad had already passed.

He squinted.

One star was falling.

"Lucy?" the boy asked, acting as if the feline would respond. "Is that a shooting star or something?"

Amazingly, two more stars were following that one. Goten placed Lucy on the grass before jumping to his feet. "MAMA. GRANDMA! COME OUT! There's like three shooting stars! Hurry!"

Chi-Chi and Gine, wanting to humor the hero's offspring, ran out to see what he was pointing so excitedly at. Chi-Chi brushed a lose bang away from her eye and shook her head. "Honey... shooting stars don't fall down like that... OR GET CLOSER!" she screeched at the same time her mother-in-law did, realizing that the object in the sky was coming towards them at an increasing rate. The other two behind it weren't moving as fast, but the mothers weren't taking any chances.

"I think it's going to hit the house!" Gine picked Lucy off the ground, prepared to run. "We've got to get out of here!"

Before any of them could escape, the first fallen star had skidded right by them and crashed into a tree that was one of Goten's favorites. Within seconds of the landing, the tree and 'star' had caught on fire.

"THAT'S GOING TO BURN THE ENTIRE WOODS!" Chi-Chi screamed, momentarily forgetting that the other two objects were closing in. "Goten, quick! Did your father ever teach you about putting out flames with the Kamehameha? While you're doing that, I'll go grab the Bansho fan!"

Knowing what to do, Goten went to the crash site without saying a word and began using the technique his father did at his age on Fire Mountain. He was soon joined by his grandmother, who learned the Kamehameha before their fight with Buu.

"What exactly do we do?" Gine questioned, trying her hardest not to freak out. The entire Earth around them began shaking as soon as the other two stars had landed nearby, but only made craters instead of fire.

Goten took a deep breath, wishing that his father was here. "Grandma, don't worry! Just gather up all your energy and use it on these flames, it should work!"

The grandmother-grandson duo cupped their hands on their sides and released the blue ki waves onto the embers. Since the fire wasn't completely overpowering yet, the flames had gone out without spending too much of their power. Chi-Chi had come up behind them with the Bansho fan, but sighed in relief noticing that she didn't have to use it.

"Good job, guys!" she panted, and studied the burnt object that rested against where a large tree should have been. The fan had dropped to her feet the moment her hands touched her heavy chest. "... Wait a minute... I recognize that ship..."

The Saiyan-ship replica had the Capsule Corporations logo on the side after being improved by Bulma, a special gift specifically for Tarble. Goten forced the door to open, and had to rip it off completely. He tossed the destroyed metal a few feet away and fought back watery eyes as he removed the bloody body inside.

"Oh, Uncle Tarble..." he sniffed and placed the short Saiyan on the cool night grass. Chi-Chi and Gine had dropped to their knees around him to check for a pulse and exchange weary looks with one another.

"He's barely alive..." Chi-Chi whispered, and looked up at her young son horrified. "What happened? Did he just...lose control?"

The messy haired boy had controlled his tears, trying to keep a straight head for the sake of his mama and grandma. At the moment, he was the only man around and promised his dad he would protect them. Still, it was hard looking at Tarble's face. Half of it was burned from the flames inside his ship, while the other half was covered in blood. His armor had been torn in an area where a hole was revealed, as if he were shot.

And still, the younger prince of Vegeta was breathing.

For now.

"No, Mama... someone attacked him."

"The other stars!" Chi-Chi and Gine said in unison, and stood protectively in front of Goten and Tarble as they looked around. The entire forest was silent, save for the deep breathing of their family and the pained one of Tarble. Chi-Chi slowly picked up the Bansho fan and held it like a loaded rifle.

"They're above us, Mama..." Goten whispered, but didn't look away from his mother's back. "They don't think we know. Just stay calm."

"Who are they?" Chi-Chi whispered. The fan was shaking in her hand, but her voice was still strong.

"F-Frieza's men..." a weak voice stated, causing the three to whip around. Tarble lifted a trembling hand off the grass, offering it to Goten but the boy refused to pick him up in his condition. "They... shot...me...and followed me...here. I tried... to diverge them but failed. I'm sorry but," when he coughed, Chi-Chi raised a finger at him.

"Tarble, please. Don't talk now. We need to get you to Dende right away-"

"N-no! Listen...please..." Tarble begged with the one eye that could open. Goten could still feel the two intruders floating high above them, waiting and watching. "You must get my message out... Frieza... he's alive. He's alive... I think his henchmen knew I would... try telling Vegeta... and they went after me... Goten...can destroy them... Easy. They are the weakest ones... Especially compared to-"

Even the mention of Frieza was causing Gine's head to spin. Her daughter-in-law and grandson had never met the tyrant, and were damn lucky. The Saiyan female knelt down and held Tarble's good hand. "Is Frieza coming here?"

"Most likely... Not at the moment... He was heading somewhere else... Probably to... train."

Gine squeezed his hand, trying to keep her head on straight. Bardock would go absolutely crazy knowing that Frieza was out there. "Alright, we'll defeat those two guys and take you to see Dende. Bardock is with him. We'll get the word out to everyone, promise."

Tarble, unable to speak anymore, gave the woman a weak smile and closed his eyes. Gine made sure he was still breathing, and then stood up again. "Honey, I'm going to need you to get those guys out of the way. We need to give Grandpa some very important news."

"WHAT!?" Goten began jumping up and down excitedly at the mention of the 'g' word. "Grandpa!? We're going to go see him!?"

"Yes, all you need to do is get those guys out of our way!"

"I don't know about this, Gine..." Chi-Chi bit her lower lip. "Look at what those guys did to Tarle... Are you sure it's smart?"

"Chi-Chi, who trained the boy?"

Reluctantly, the mother stepped out of the way so her son could go Super Saiyan. The power up caused the two goons above to finally lower themselves to the ground and laugh at the sad group.

"Oh, wow, can you believe this?" a frog-like creature punched his partner on the arm. "Our scouters must be junk. A half-dead Saiyan piece of shit and two women are being protected by a little baby."

Goten clenched one of his fists together tightly and used the other hand to stop his mother from charging at the aliens. The other one who resembled a human but most likely wasn't cocked his gun to the side.

"I can't believe Frieza makes us to this. It's too damn easy for our set of skills."

Bothered by the rapid blinking of their strange eye pieces, Goten shot them off their faces with two single ki blasts. The henchmen blinked at the boy, and then scowled after realizing what he had done. Before they could point it at him, Goten destroyed their guns as well.

"Tarble..." Goten frowned. He didn't take his eyes off the enemies as he spoke to his old house guest. "How did these guys get you?"

An extremely weak laughter was heard in the background. "You're much stronger than me, Goten..."

The boy shrugged. If these guys were anything like that Frieza person Tarble mentioned, his grandfather was going to be super bored by the news. However, the faster he got rid of them the faster he got to see his favorite person in the world.

"..I don't have to kill them, right?"

"Oh, that's it!" the frog yelled, and charged at Goten first. With a blank expression, the half-Saiyan grabbed him by the wrist and broke it as he flipped the alien over. When he let out a scream, the humanoid attacked next in a similar way and earned a roundhouse kick to the neck which either killed him or made him unconscious, Goten wasn't too sure.

Since the frog was still awake and moving but holding on tightly to his broken wrist, Goten gave him the same treatment. Kicks, after all, were his mother's specialty. Looking at the two bodies on the grass, Goten smiled sweetly at his mama.

"Can you get rid of them, Mama? Me, Grandma, and Tarble have to see Grandpa now!"

Chi-Chi gave them a salute, always willing to help her son hide some bodies. Goten placed Tarble over his shoulders and flew with his mother in the direction of the lookout, leaving the housewife alone with unconscious henchmen from space.

She grinned at her Bansho fan, finally finding a good use for it after all these years.

XX

* * *

After a small scare of Kakarot being knocked out for a few seconds, Bardock's son had gotten back on his feet to bring a victory over the frail Nam. Not only that, but sometime during the match his tail had miraculously grown back. Their fight had been the most exciting one so far, ending with them falling back from the sky after a fight in the air. Goku's feet had touched the ring before Nam, and gave him the advantage of a firm kick to the gut.

Happily, the child jumped from foot to foot after making sure Nam was okay and rejoined his friends. Instead of congratulating his son on a job well done, Saiyaman eyed Jackie Chun as he shuffled his way over to the defeated warrior.

"Here's a capsule," the old man handed the thin Nam said invention. "It has enough water in it to support your entire village for years and years to come."

"But..." the peaceful fighter blinked. "How did you know...?"

Saiyaman shook his head, not wanting to hear the conversation anymore. His fight with Jackie Chun was seconds away, just as soon as the announcer made the call. After all these years, it was finally happening.

"You're not who you say you are."

The old man had joined Saiyaman's side, being the first opponents to walk up the stairs onto the ring together. They were both looking forward with serious expressions on their faces, never faltering.

"I could say the same about you, Jackie."

Jackie Chun chuckled quietly. "I can't let you win, Bardock. You're going to go easy on your son when you guys make it to the final round. He just can't win, you understand?"

Saiyaman scowled underneath his shades as the two ducked under the ropes. "Oh, I didn't know we were going back to a real name basis now _Roshi_. If Kakarot wins, he wins. No big deal. But I _will_ be the one fighting my son."

Jackie narrowed his eyes as the two were now an equidistant apart. The gong had already gone off for the match to begin, and the crowd was booing for the show to start and the conversation to end. "Of course you don't understand. You have too much pride to see what I see."

Bardock spread his feet apart and raised a fist near his head while the other jutted out by his waist. He spit on the tiles, angered. "Listen, you decrepit old man. I've wasted years of my life looking for Jackie Chun and all you've done is lie to me. That's the one thing that I can't stand."

The wise opponent held his palm out straight below him while the other reached toward Bardock, as if feeling out his energy. Both hands were shaking. "Just know it's always been in the best interest of your son. If he wins this tournament, he'll believe he's the strongest one in the world and will give up on his training. I can't let that happen. We can't let that happen."

"I assure you Kakarot would never stop ascending. That's the Saiyan in him. I think it's you who can't understand."

A white brow was raised. "So you want Goku to win this tournament?"

"I just want to fight him. I don't care for the outcome."

"That answer is not good enough."

Although holding a defensive position previously, Jackie Chun was the first to attack. As expected, his punches were blocked blow for blow by Saiyaman. The mysterious superhero countered back with a kick that the old man dodged under, and Jackie gripped his ankle as it passed. He swung Saiyaman around once before tossing him the sky, but of course Bardock immediately came flying back down.

"You're hiding so much of yourself, Saiyaman."

"And you're not!?"

The old man was greeted with a kick to the jaw by golden tipped boots, causing his head to go back slightly. Jackie Chun gritted his teeth, remembering why and who he was doing this for. Perhaps Bardock was a little too advanced for this, but he had to try.

Saiyaman was surrounded by ten Jackie Chuns all moving around in a circling, mocking him. Easily seeing through his mirage trick, he grabbed the real by the neck and threw him down onto the tile.

"You're really going to insult me with a trick like that!?"

Jackie Chun whipped the blood away from his lip and smirked. The crowd became an uproar as soon as Saiyaman and Jackie were rapidly moving around the ring with their own unique punches and kicks to the bodies. The old man had removed his shirt somewhere in between, revealing a ripped body even at his age. He was completely covered in bruises, but with all the clothes Saiyaman was wearing it was hard for the crowd to tell if he were in the same condition.

"Young man," the old one panted as he tried striking Bardock in the eyes, but only removed his sunglasses and was caught by his hands. "You're not even breaking a sweat yet, are you?"

"Nope."

Saiyaman was now holding Jackie Chun by both of his wrists and looking into a pair of eyes that were always covered by glasses. He could feel Jackie trying to escape his grip, but Bardock was taking a moment to study his face. He had always been able to defeat Master Roshi, this time and in the real time of his. Yet, there wasn't anything satisfying about that. He was looking at the man who had trained his son, and then trained himself without hesitation.

As he could feel himself vibrating from Roshi's unnerving struggle, Bardock began having more thoughts. Even going back to Yamcha, he was amazed by the ambition and will of these fighters in their younger days. What the hell had happened? Why did they ever stop?

"You can't win this one for the very reason you're giving my son," Saiyaman frowned. If only this could somehow change history. "Don't give it all up, Master."

A bit surprised, Jackie Chun stared blankly at Bardock as he released him. The Saiyan felt bad for having such a strong opponent and most definitely the strongest fighter of this time go down this way, but it was time to fight Kakarot.

After all, the moon was rising and there were reports of it being a full one.

Putting his energy into his fist, Saiyaman punched Jackie Chun's exposed chest so hard that he could feel Bardock's ki penetrate through his body. The old fighter had lost his breath for a moment before hitting the grass, but was joined by Bardock after his winning announcement shortly to make sure it came back to him.

"I'm not going to let him win. Believe me."

Jackie Chun gave Bardock an exhausted smile, knowing that he had found his better. The Saiyan gave him his hand to help him off his feet and even brushed him off a little. "You've got to promise me, Saiyaman. You must not let him win," when Bardock nodded, the old master began chuckling mysteriously. "Heh heh! Now I've got some free time to hit on the hunnies!"

Bardock fell over as Master Roshi went to do just that. He put his sunglasses on and downed a few bowls of Ramen as Kakarot fought against Yamcha. The one thing he liked about that bandit was the fact he was a good loser, but the defeat came quicker than anyone could anticipate. His mate wasn't enough this time around to get him through it.

"Saiyaman! Will you please join Goku in the ring so we can begin the finals!?"

The poorly dressed superhero sighed loudly and gave his muscles a quick stretching before responding to the call. He tried to hold back a smile as his son was doing the same thing but on the arena tiles.

"It's a pleasure for you to fight me."

"Nah," Saiyaman was thankful he could hide his excitement behind a pair of sunglasses, but his ever-growing smirk couldn't be contained. On opposite ends of the ring, the father and son were crouching similarly. "Pleasure's all yours."


	18. Golden Days

**Chapter 18 - Golden Days**

"How strange..."

"What's that, Papa?"

Ox blinked his gargantuan eyes that came as a package with a colossal body. He scratched the side of his golden-horned helmet and finally replied to his daughter after taking a good, long look at the opponents in the ring.

"Don't cha think it's a little strange both of them have tails? Not only that, but their fighting style seems to mimic one another... Just look at them."

Chi-Chi's smile caused her eyes to sparkle from underneath her choppy bangs. For once, she knew more than her father. "That's because Saiyaman is Goku's dad from the future! Cool, huh!?"

Ox nearly flipped the little girl right over his shoulder when he looked up at her forcefully. She said the strangest things, but most often she was right. "How in the world do you know that, sweet pea!?"

Chi-Chi's simper had grown so much that her eyes had shut. Behind her, the sun was drowning in the horizon to paint a sky of pink, orange, and yellow. The clouds held the promise of a calm and peaceful night, and soon the moon would show.

"Remember the man you sent me out to talk to that one afternoon? The one you thought was a new farmer?"

Ox could vaguely re-imagine the moment, but he nodded.

"That was him, Papa! Saiyaman is Bardock!" the girl opened her eyes and pointed to the strangely dressed character smirking while blocking his frustrated son's punches with the palm of his hands. On his wrist, the gadget glared for the last time before the sun disappeared completely. "I recognize that watch anywhere!"

The father nodded slowly, completely forgetting the fact she had mentioned he was from the future. Although it was hard to see Saiyaman's features underneath his attire, the king of Fire Mountain could see the similarities. When they moved, they were perfectly synchronized. A side kick with a straightened foot from Bardock sent Goku rolling across the ring, but the persistent boy would only flip back to him to try again.

"Gosh, I hope Bardock doesn't go easy on him just because that's his son."

"That's exactly what I'm thinking!" Jackie Chun had silently joined the audience, surprising Ox who jumped a little and shook Chi-Chi on his shoulders. The wise warrior who had fallen to Saiyaman was rubbing his beard and glaring at the spectacle on the ring. "Damn you, Bardock. I thought we had a deal. I shouldn't have quit that easily."

"Y-You were amazing, Mr. Chun!" Ox cleared his throat, and offered the old man his gargantuan hand. "I figured you were gonna go all the way."

The king of Fire Mountain blushed when he realized Jackie Chun wasn't going to shake his hand, due to his focus being entirely on the fight. He took one look at the fighter's stern glare and tucked his hand in the pocket of his hands. Ox's gaze then went back to Saiyaman and Goku, soon understanding why Jackie looked so pissed off.

Bardock didn't seem to be giving it his all, with Goku continuously getting back on his feet for more of the battle.

"Ooh, Papa! Doesn't the moon look pretty!?"

Called away from the fight by his daughter's question, Ox turned his chin slowly upward until his head was bent back to look at the darkening sky. A pale moon was peaking at them from behind the stars.

"Wow! That is a gorgeous site. Biggest moon I've seen in weeks."

The father and daughter were caught in a blissful moment of nature's beauty, enjoying the view of an angelic pool of light. There were smiles on their faces until someone shouted out,

"If he looks at that moon, it's the end of the tournament!"

"The end of the tournament!? It'll be the end of us! The world!"

Simultaneously, Chi-Chi and Ox straightened up and looked to the left of them. Goku's friends, Bulma and Yamcha, were leaning against the railing and screaming. The child shook her head.

"I'll never understand why Goku hangs out with those crazy kids."

Ox opened his mouth to respond, but Bulma's shouts overpowered him.

"HEY! WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

The king followed her line of vision to see Saiyaman kneeling behind Goku, one strong arm wrapped around the child's neck while the hand on the other arm was used to yank his hair back. Goku was crying out in pain, causing Chi-Chi to gasp and pound her fist on her father's helmet.

"Papa! What's Bardock doing to him!? He's hurting him! Ohh, Goku!"

Jackie Chun answered for her, clenching his fists tightly while Bulma and Yamcha kept shouting for Saiyaman to stop.

"He's making him look at the moon."

XX

* * *

"Let go of me, let go of me!"

Goku was struggling in Saiyaman's hold, and even tried to bite down on his arm. That always seemed to work, but this guy only punched his forehead instead of letting go.

"Just look at the moon and I will!" the adult hollered back, wishing he had punched Kakarot's forehead harder for that bite mark he left on his skin. "What the hell is up with you and biting people, anyway!?"

"Don't...knock it til you...try it!" Goku managed to say against the strangle hold, trying to consider his other options. Saiyaman was just way too strong for him. "Why do you want me to look at the moon? What's up your bandanna?"

"The word is 'sleeve', moron, and nothing!" Saiyaman could feel his son's tail brushing against his neck as if the child was really dumb enough to consider choking him with it. "Kakarot, listen! Just look at the moon and I'll let you go! No trick!"

Goku growled, and attempted escape by chomping down again only to receive a punch to the temple. "OW! Stop calling me Kakarot! It's not very nice calling someone a vegetable! You wouldn't like being called 'Burdock', would you!?"

Saiyaman would be pinching the bridge of his nose if it weren't for his current struggle. He had waited years on end to see his son transform into Oozaru, and after seeing his tail grow back miraculously after fighting Nam, it was meant to be.

The damn fool just wouldn't listen to him.

"Alright, alright," he sighed and even loosened his arms a little. The boy seemed to be calming down a bit by the sudden shift in his tone. "How about we look at the moon together? That way you'll know I'm not trying to trick you."

"You gotta let go of me first."

"Nope, can't do that."

"Fine," the child pouted and threw his head back so it was now resting against Saiyaman's collarbone. He could feel and hear the adult let out a ragged breath as he rested his eyes on the illuminated circle in the sky.

There was that strange tightness in Bardock's chest that he felt the first time Goten held his hand in the grocery store. His own young son was resting against him and allowing the Blutz Waves to take over his body. He released him as soon as he saw his eyes turn blood red.

Still on one knee, he smirked at the child as he shook and growled like a wild animal.

"A promise is a promise."

* * *

"What in the world...!?"

Thankful for her father being built like a mammoth, Chi-Chi stood on top of his shoulder and gaped. Her beloved Goku had opened his mouth so wide that _fangs_ were beginning to protrude! His orange gi had completely ripped apart as his body expanded, and along with that expansion came fur. Screams erupted all around her as the boy she loved was no longer there.

A monkey so big that it could be seen from Fire Mountain had taken over the ring!

It let out a snarl so loud that it knocked Chi-Chi off her father's shoulders, sending her to the feet of Jackie Chun. Without looking at her, the old man pulled the trembling girl to her feet.

"W-What's happened to Goku!?" she pulled desperately on the long sleeve of his black shirt for answers. "What's that ugly thing doing there!?"

Jackie Chun remained silent except for the gritting of his teeth. He always knew that monkey-tailed kid was something else, but wasn't expecting _this_ to be that something. The damn moon was the power behind it all. Bardock knew all along and hadn't even bothered to tell him!

"That arrogant..." Chun's face went slack, and the color began draining from his face. He was staring at something that Chi-Chi couldn't see, but the girl was terrified just looking at his face.

"Mr. Chun? What's wrong?"

He didn't have to respond. The girl had followed the direction of his gaze to see Saiyaman becoming the same monster as her Goku had, only he was golden.

* * *

Bardock could hear the screams of the fans as they began leaving the tournament, going as far as trampling one another to avoid being killed by the brown-furred Oozaru that was smashing the entire arena. The older and more trained of the two pulled his lips back in a feral snarl, revealing a pair of elongated canines.

"Kakarot! How in the hell do you not have control over yourself!?"

The son wasn't paying any attention. He continued his massive destruction, causing only his friends and the blonde announcer to remain. Bardock himself couldn't really move without creating a giant crater where the ring should be.

"BARDOCK!"

The golden ape bored his eyes into Jackie Chun, who had inched himself as close to the ropes as possible. A black shirt had flung free from the old man's body and landed on Bardock's snout. The flaxen-furred creature growled as he brushed it off.

"If you don't stop this, I will!"

Ignoring the old man, Bardock turned his back on him and fired a powerful blue-colored ki blast from his mouth. It torched the back of Goku, who arched himself for a moment until the pain resided and stomped around to face the one who hurt him. He pounded his chest with two furry fists and charged towards the golden attacker.

"Damn you, Kakarot. If only you had control of yourself I wouldn't have to do this..."

* * *

Jackie Chun had to rub his eyes once, twice, and a third time.

That Bardock was transforming yet again!

The golden ape was now on fire with an aura that matched his fur, and an agonizing scream touched the ears of the few people that remained. Bolts of electricity were so out of control that Jackie Chun feared for a minute that he would set the entire place ablaze. The once large body was now doubled over, shrinking slowly. The shape against the electricity and aura appeared to be that of a man, but with wild hair that grew out in all directions.

"I don't like the looks of this!" Yamcha tried overpowering Bardock's screams as he looked to Krillin and Bulma for help. "We've got to cut off both of their tails like last time!"

"No," Jackie held out his hand to silence the teenager. "We will leave this in Saiyaman's hands."

"But-"

"But _nothing,"_ the old man turned his attention to Yamcha, and gestured towards the ring. Bulma and Oolong were hiding behind the desert bandit, but turned their heads in the same direction. "Just look at him. Just _feel_ that. He's got everything under control."

Bardock's pained screams had long disappeared and was replaced by deep, aggressive breathing. Golden fur had turned to red, red that covered the entire body from shoulder to tail to toe. Green pants covered what they needed to while a new fighter looked up at the growling ape with crimson eyelids.

"I guess the Great Ape transformation never really was for you, Kakarot," the Super Saiyan 4 looked into the pair of red eyes glaring down at him threateningly, and he moved to the side effortlessly as a hair hand pounded the tiles. Bardock's smirk only grew as an annoyed Oozaru snarled louder.

"I'm going to enjoy this one moment of being able to kick your ass, kid."

With his feet an equidistant apart and fists placed on his sides, Bardock powered up once more with a golden aura encircling him before flying towards the belly of the beast. His fist dug so tightly into the Oozaru's gut that it knocked the breath out of it. The monstrous being hunched over to hold his damaged stomach, not noticing that his enemy was now floating behind him.

Bloody eyes met with yellow ones, and then with a palm. The spectators never saw anything come out of the hand, but Goku fell backwards screeching. The large body had collided with the waiting area, destroying it completely. His hand twitched once until he stopped moving completely.

Bardock's feet lightly tapped what remained of the tiles and scanned his surroundings for blonde hair. He could see some peaking up from outside the ring, and slowly a pair of sunglasses followed. The somewhat brave announcer crawled onto what was left of his stage and ran to the only remaining fighter.

"...Do you happen to be Saiyaman?"

"Did I win?"

The announcer tugged on his shirt collar nervously and looked around for any sign of Goku. "Uh..."

"How do you not see the big fucking monkey laying on the grass?"

"SAIYAMAN IS THE WINNER! Hey! Where are you going!?"

Bardock was leaving the man and his microphone to join Jackie Chun. The legendary fighter looked him up and down, unsure of what to say but decided to look at Goku instead.

"Is that boy going to be alright?"

"Yeah. Just make sure you destroy the moon or something, or else you'll be stuck with that ape for the rest of the night."

Jackie Chun gave him a half smile. They both seemed to have gotten what they wanted, and when Goku awoke he would learn that he lost the tournament to the mysterious Great Saiyaman.

"What are you, Bardock? I have lived a very long time and have never met anything like you."

The Saiyan looked above the old man to see the faces of Bulma, Yamcha, Krillin, Oolong, and Puar. Ox King and Chi-Chi standing a safe distance away, observing the unconscious Goku instead of the crimson one that caused it all. The choppy bang-wearing girl briefly glanced at him when she felt his gaze touch her, and offered him a small wave and sweet smile.

"The Great Saiyaman."

Goku's friends and master were left blinking at the exposed shoulder blades of the champion of the twenty first World Martial Arts Tournament as he ran away, not looking back once.

* * *

Bardock's eyes snapped open from what seemed to be a very frightening and very real dream, and he hastily rubbed his arms up and down to make sure there wasn't any fur. The only place that rightfully contained it was on his tail, which was wrapped tightly around his waist. His oh so beautiful Saiyan armor was on his body instead of the god awful Saiyaman costume.

Everything was finally right in the world.

The Pendulum Room was exactly as he left it; dark and with too many clocks. He removed himself from the panel, feeling war-torn and exhausted. How could he have been in this room the entire time, but his body ached so much from the energy drain of the transformations?

His head ached at the thought.

When he opened the door to the outside world, he expected to be blinded by sunlight. Instead, he was greeted by a dark sky and a short green Namek waving awkwardly.

"H-Hey, Bardock! How goes it!?"

"How goes it?" the Saiyan grabbed Earth's guardian by the collar of his robe and lifted him up slightly. "What the hell did you just put me through!? I was reduced to playing the role of that fruity Saiyaman!"

"Aw, Gramps! Come on, I'm right here!"

Not catching onto the presence of his grandson until he spoke, Bardock immediately dropped Dende to see that he had been standing behind him the entire time. Not only him, but Piccolo, Kakarot, and Whis were there.

...Whis?

"What's this all about?" Bardock's voice demanded, and he could see his son hopping from foot to foot in anticipation. The scarred warrior slapped himself in the forehead before Whis could respond. "Are you seriously leaving with this guy, Kakarot?"

Goku clasped his hands together and resembled the version Bardock had just seen more than ever. "Look, I knew you were going to be mad, but guess what!? Chi-Chi is totally fine with it and I'm not going alone! Gohan and _you_ are coming, too! Isn't this EXCITING!"

Bardock looked beyond his son's enormous, toothy grin to the humanoid behind him. His dark orbs narrowed in on the teal-skinned assistant of the God of Destruction. "What interest do you have in me?"

Whis offered his staff to Gohan, who gave the impression of being shocked to hold it for him. The white-haired mentor strolled past the Saiyans and Nameks to stand face to face with Bardock.

"I told you there was something you kept hidden. After seeing it live on screen, I'm sure of this being the right thing."

"Live on screen..." Bardock mouthed. Once he heard his son and grandson failing to stifle their laughter, he became flushed and held up a fist to Dende. "WHAT THE HELL DOES HE MEAN LIVE ON SCREEN!?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" the poor guardian raised his green hands in defense. "Anyone who enters the Pendulum Room automatically give consent to be recorded and watched at all times."

"I should kill you," the still reddened Saiyan mumbled, but was touched on the shoulder by Whis. Bardock glared up at him, never noticing that he was this tall until now. "What!?"

Whis removed his hand. He lowered his thin brows and lost all hints of patience. "I wanted to take you to my planet for personal reasons, but it's not that important if I have to put up with a temperamental buffoon that believes he's too good for this world. Even the prince acts better than you... I guess that's why he's so far ahead of you."

Bardock's fists clenched tightly, and he was wordless as Whis returned to Gohan to get his staff back. His grandson looked at the humanoid who was telling him to hurry along, and then looked to his grandfather who was silently offended.

"Dad," Gohan whispered and elbowed Goku. "Do something. We can't leave without Gramps."

The hero groaned loudly, tired of waiting for so long. If Whis was correct about Vegeta being far ahead, there was no more time to waste. "Come on, Dad! You're always looking for some new training, and now you'll get some from the strongest person in the universe! Let's gooooo!"

"No, I don't think so," Whis spoke for him, causing Bardock to keep shooting him deadly glares. "Healing the soul is a chancier thing than mending flesh and bone. And anger remains. After all the ordeals he's been through, anger holds close to the bone. You can't grow from there. He's much better off at home. Gohan, Goku, come. It's been too long."

The humanoid was already tapping his staff on the tiles of the lookout, while Gohan looked uncertainly at his grandfather. His father, on the other hand, had given up on convincing Bardock and was ready to leave.

"Come on, son! If your grandpa wanted to come, he would have joined us by now! He's happier at home, anyway!"

Gohan frowned. He supposed it was true. He was always talking about how important it was to stay with family. At least Gohan would be able to travel back and forth every day with his father! "I guess you're right... See ya, Gramps!" he called out. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Goku and Whis had exchanged looks as soon as Gohan said it, but just shrugged. Almost desperately, Bardock turned his attention to Piccolo who had been silent this whole time.

"Green man, what should I do?"

"I think you already know the answer."

"Will you-"

"I'm always the godfather of half-Saiyan idiots. Just get out of my sight."

Bardock had clung onto Gohan just in time without giving it a second thought. Dende was shoutin his goodbyes while Piccolo smirked at the group. A bright light resembling a tunnel to Beerus' planet absorbed them.

The four had disappeared right before a small child carrying an unconscious Saiyan and a woman had finally landed on the lookout.

* * *

Vegeta was already down on one knee holding a tray of food for Whis before he even arrived on the planet. A beam of light had appeared and disappeared within a blink of an eye, and the prince forced his best grin as he offered his mentor what was in his hands.

"Would you like some fish, Whis?"

"No thanks, Vegeta. I actually have a surprise for you!"

Horrified, the prince dropped the tray as Goku's head, then Gohan's head, then Bardock's head came out from the sides of Whis. Goku removed himself from the group and raised his hands in the air.

"Vegeta! How ya been!?"

"Oh, great! It's a Super Saiyan God bargain sale!"

Whis chuckled and rested against his staff. He watched as Goku tried high-fiving Vegeta but was rejected with a sneer. "Yes, I suppose it's a bit much. They say too many Saiyans on a planet is a bad thing. You four will be my only students."

Bardock looked around said planet for a moment. It favored the Sacred World of the Kais; with the short grass and lakes that could be seen just about everywhere. There was an abundance of trees that were probably destroyed every day by the God of Destruction after not getting his way. His eyes scanned what was above him, and a strange temple-like structure was built inside the largest tree he had ever seen.

When the prince made a huffing sound at something Goku was doing, Bardock looked at him and twisted his mouth in disgust. "What the fuck are you wearing?"

Gohan had noticed the pink apron as well, but didn't say anything. While Vegeta went on and on about it being a training requirement, the young father finally removed the sword from his back and placed it gently on the grass. When he looked up, Whis was smiling at him.

"Bardock took forever at his little tournament, and I got you all here a little later than I planned. It's hard to do chores at this time of day, so I'll show you all to your rooms and we can get started first thing in the morning."

"...Chores?" Goku said while Gohan raised a finger.

"No, I'm good! I actually have a bed back at home and I can have my dad pick me up in the morning."

Whis deadpanned. He looked at Goku, who was tugging at the collar of his gi and sweating. "What exactly did you tell him?"

"If I said he was going to stay here for a couple months, he would have never came! I was under pressure!"

"A COUPLE MONTHS!?" Gohan spoke the loudest he had in years. He placed his hands on his father's shoulders and shook him wildly. "DAD! WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO ABOUT VIDEL? PAN? WORK!? I WILL GET FIRED!"

"Whoa, take it easy, take it easy!" Goku grinned childishly, and allowed himself to move back and forth. "I'm sure Videl will have it all taken care of. Piccolo told me she knew about it, so we're golden!"

Gohan released his father after looking into his eyes for honesty and ran a finger through his spikes. He tried hard to think of a reason that could get him home, but instead pointed an accusing finger at the prince.

"What about Vegeta!? His daughter is going to come any day now! You can't just let the poor guy stay so far away from home!"

Whis wasn't moved. "The prince knew what he was getting into before coming here. From this moment on, no calls coming in and no calls going out. Unless it's for food, of course."

Gohan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked to Vegeta desperately, but the prince didn't look him in the eye once. "Come on, Vegeta! Don't you want to see your daughter?"

"Of course he does!" Goku chimed in. "He just has too much pride to say it! But I totally get it. I would much rather train, anyway!"

"We all know what you think," Bardock growled and then hit Gohan on the chest. "The pride talk for Vegeta was over a long time ago. The guy was on his knees the moment we arrived wearing a pink skirt."

Whis sighed loudly as the Saiyans all except Gohan began fighting. Goku seemed to be in it for the hell of it, with that relaxed grin on his face. The humanoid pulled Gohan away from the scene by his sleeve and began leading him to the sleeping quarters.

"Try not to worry. I can tell your weakness if overthinking," Whis opened the door and allowed Gohan to step in. The saddened father looked around, seeing how dark and empty the space was save for the moonlight seeping in and four mattresses. He much preferred the carpet by the staircase at home. "It won't be that bad, and time will just fly by. Now, sleep, sleep, sleep! You've got a long day of work ahead of you!"

Gohan turned around to thank Whis, but the guy was already gone. A disheveled Bardock entered the room, seemingly forgetting that Vegeta was much stronger than him at this point. He crashed face-down onto the mattress Gohan was about to crash in.

"Gramps? Aren't you going to miss Grandma, Mom, and Goten?"

"I don't want to talk about it," his muffled voice said. "Go to sleep."

It was much easier said than done. Vegeta already had his bedding set up, but when he saw Goku decided to chose the mattress right next to him, he moved it all the way to the far end of the room. They kept exchanging back-and-forths all night, and someone always ended up yelling before Gohan could close his eyes.

"I bet the prince is the only one whose legs aren't hanging off the bed."

"I bet the clown's father wants another beating!"

Gohan groaned, wishing it would end.

"Hey, Vegeta?"

A loud huff was heard in the silent room.

"What!?"

"What do you think Beerus dreams about? I mean, he's kinda like a household cat, right? Like Lucy. I wonder what she dreams about... Her legs probably don't twitch as much as Beerus'-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP KAKAROT AND GO TO SLEEP!"

* * *

A sense of pride had found its way to Tagoma today as he stood side by side, and alone, with the man he had looked up to since he was a child. Of course, no smile could be found on his face. That part of him died a long time ago. A lot had changed about the purple-skinned alien, but it was nothing he missed.

Out of everyone under the Elite, Frieza had personally chosen him for training purposes. Not only that, but Tagoma was the first person to witness something absolutely remarkable. Something so menacing that his thoughts about the Saiyan's powers were beginning to change.

...But not completely.

The sky of the ruined planet cast ominous clouds, threatening a downpour. Under his scouter, Tagoma looked at his leader with hooded eyes. Frieza was known for his erratic behavior, and having seen it first hand, Tagoma was uncertain.

Still, it had to be said.

"My lord," he stated as calmly as possible. The two were continuing their way to his large spaceship where the rest of the Elite were making preparations for their next destination. "I would like to state my opinion."

"You know how I feel about opinions."

Tagoma nodded. "Yes... Believe me, I know. It's just... I don't like your plans, sir. Your transformation is incredible, but I have this feeling the Saiyans are up to something."

The soldier cringed when he heard Frieza's feet scrap against the rubble as he came to a halt. Tagoma had no choice but to stop as well, but this strange fear had him looking down at his green-tipped boots instead of at his ruler.

"What do you recommend we do?"

Stunned, Tagoma finally looked up at Frieza. The tyrant was expressionless, but it was better than seeing him angered. The solider straightened up a bit, finding confidence as his voice became louder.

"I don't think we should head to Earth right away. Why don't we try honing in on your new skills first? Find your weakness, and perfect it so the Saiyans won't-"

The soldier was greeted with a slap to the face by an oddly strong tail. He fell to his side, gritting his teeth as he felt the rocks below cut up the side of his body. Being Frieza's training partner, he definitely received more worse punishment. This just caught him by surprise.

"I have no weakness, you fool."

Tagoma swallowed some saliva that was trying to escape his mouth after his hit. He should have been more careful with his wording.

Or perhaps... worse?

"I out of everyone in your army would know of your weakness. If you go to Earth now as you are, you will die."

The soldier closed his eyes tightly, expecting a blast to penetrate his heart and make him eat his words. Nobody ever talked to Frieza like that and lived to tell about it. How many times had he witnessed his partners fall victim to him after mouthing off or making an opinion he hated?

"Fine."

"...What?" Tagoma looked up to see Frieza had his back turned to him and was already walking towards the ship. The soldier was still alive and breathing, with no extra hole in his body.

"You're more of an imbecile than those awful monkeys if you can look me in the eyes and say I have a weakness. I'll just have to put you through harsher training to prove you wrong."

"Sir..."

"Let's leave this dismal planet."

"L-Lord Frieza," Tagoma raised a hand from where he laid on the ground, but made sure to bring himself to his feet before his superior saw him. "I thought you said-"

"We aren't going to _Earth_ ," the frost demon replied. His bone-chilling cackle echoed throughout the empty planet that was full of life before he arrived. A golden tail swung back and forth, threateningly. He looked over his shoulder and Tagoma could see a smirk revealed through his profile. "We are going to Yardrat. Now get up, before I end you."


	19. Training Partners

The opportunity to see his hero slipped through his fingers like a fist full of sand.

Goten's outstretched hand lingered for a moment in the direction of where he had just seen Bardock disappear. Not only that, but Whis had taken his brother and father, too.

Poor child couldn't catch a break.

It wasn't until Piccolo shot him a strange look that he remembered the unconscious Tarble was hanging over his shoulder. Goten winced when the sound of the Saiyan hitting the tiles of the lookout sounded like shattering bones.

"Sorry, Tarble..."

The taller of the two Nameks groaned into his green palm. "It's just one thing after another today, isn't it?"

Waiting for the answers to reveal themselves instead of prying it out of the visitors, Dende gently brushed Goten aside to begin healing Tarble. Goten bit his thumb while watching the process; a nervous habit that hadn't left him even at age twelve. His grandmother's touch on his shoulder caused him to stop.

"Piccolo..." Gine began, but her eyes were way above the Namek, way deep into the sky to where she had seen her mate disappear. "What just happened?"

"Between those fools leaving and the dying Saiyan on the ground, which one do you think is more important?"

The mother of Goku blushed when she followed Piccolo's line of vision. Tarble was hacking up a storm as Dende continued to heal him, but if anyone could get a person who's been through hell and back back to one hundred percent, it was Earth's guardian.

"Right..." the full blooded female Saiyan rubbed the back of her neck, looking even more identical to her too-relaxed son. "I came here expecting to find Bardock, but I guess you're a good choice. Do you know who Frieza is?"

Goten hid behind his grandma's legs when Piccolo's voice suddenly became as strict as it was when he trained Trunks and himself. He peaked over her side to see that the Namek's hands had come unfolded.

Now, they just awkwardly floating in the air.

"Are you trying to tell me Frieza has something to do with this!?" Piccolo's brow bones furrowed. How could a dead man...

He studied a bloody tile that Tarble had dripped on.

Dammit, he knew the sky was a little too dark not so long ago...

"I know what you're thinking," Gine had taken a few steps forward, contemplating whether or not she should poke Piccolo to get his attention until the green man was looking at her once again. "I don't know who would resurrect such a monster, but they did. I came here to let Bardock know but I guess..."

Piccolo made a face when she rubbed her arm and looked up at the night sky again. Before she had a chance to cry, or even talk, Piccolo cleared his throat. "Yeah, yeah. Our prize fighters are all training with Whis on a planet far, far away. How long will it take Frieza to get here?"

"I would say close to a year," a voice came from their right side. A fully healed Tarble was on his feet and had become the center of attention. "I don't know exactly where he was headed to, but I was able to transmit information from his ship when I passed by. Apparently, he's going off to train for a few months... But that's all I can tell you. I'm sorry."

Something he had said caused Piccolo to scowl.

"Wait. How did you end up left for dead? Did they catch you spying through your scouter?"

Tarble tapped his nose. "Yup. Sent out two of his goons immediately. I just..." he fiddled with his thumbs and looked down at his gold-tipped boots. "I just hope Gure made it home safely. I didn't see anyone chasing her."

Gine offered him a small smile and patted her heart. "Hey, don't worry about it. If you can feel her alive in here, she's just fine."

Piccolo slightly grunted while Goten slowly mimicked his grandmother's actions.

"Can't we just ask Whis to bring them back?" the child questioned with a pout. None of the grown ups even looked at him. "Well, he can keep Trunks' dad. But I want mine back! It's just _sooo_ boring and-"

"Stop whining!" Piccolo ordered, and Goten immediately straightened up. "It's in everyone's best interest to keep them there until Frieza gets here. There's something about Frieza training that's really unsettling."

"Well, can't we at least warn them?" Gine suggested for the sake of her sullen grandson, who was on the verge of tears. "They'll train even harder knowing what'll be waiting for them back home."

Piccolo snapped his attention to Dende, who was turning rather red for a green man. "You know what to do, Dende."

"Uhm..." his gulp could be heard in outer space. Sharp nailed fingers tugged at the collar of his white robe. "I actually don't. Whis just showed up here randomly. Hey, don't look at me like that! We can always try asking Bulma. For some reason, she's real chummy with the guy."

Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest while turning his attention back to Gine. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."."

"I'll stay up here where it's safe!" Tarble spoke hastily before the Saiyan woman could speak for him. A little drop of sweat rested on his forehead while all four pairs of eyes were on him. "Uh, I mean, if that's okay with you, guardian?"

Dende lightly tapped his shoulder. "Of course! Mr. PoPo is the best security guard around. We'll be just fine."

All eager for different reasons, the Namek, the Saiyan, and the hybrid descended downwards to the world that was perhaps too good to call home.

* * *

Seeing two aliens tied up inside her mother-in-law's home was the last thing Videl expected to see when Chi-Chi called her to come over.

The former martial artist and current housewife paced back and forth around the frog-like creature and one that resembled a human, holding her frying pan threateningly in the air every time they refused to answer her.

"...Mama? What's grandma doing?"

Videl could feel her daughter pulling on her pant leg, but all she could do was blink in response.

"I don't really know, Pan."

The sound of their voices finally caused Chi-Chi to realize they were there. She gave one of Frieza's soldiers a thwack before dropping the pan to the floor and embracing them.

"Oh, thank goodness! Did you listen to all of my voicemail!?" Chi-Chi was holding onto her daughter-in-law's hands with sparkling eyes, those round orbs of hers holding in so much.

Videl bit her lower lip while glancing over Chi-Chi's bun to see the aliens using their feet to kick the pan further away, but were too tied down with ropes to do anything. She had listened to all of Chi-Chi's frantic voicemail to the best of her ability, but Videl didn't hear anything about hostages.

"Well," she gestured to the struggling soldiers. "I guess I didn't hear it thoroughly."

Chi-Chi looked over her shoulder to see the mullet-haired humanoid forcing his feet onto the hardwood floor and running towards her with the chair still attached to him. Before the housewife could handle it on her own, Videl jumped in front of her and kicked the soldier's gut with the heel of her foot. He went crashing into the wall, breaking it in and causing Chi-Chi to groan.

"Oops!" Videl turned as red as her dress, and to make sure she was safe from Chi-Chi's wrath she held Pan up in front of her as a human shield. "I guess I don't know my own strength sometimes..."

"Whoa."

While the frog stared in disbelief at his partner getting handled by a female, the two women and young girl turned to see that the Namek and great grandmother had returned. Piccolo pointed at the soldier implanted in the wall and looked at Videl.

"Did you do that?"

"Kinda..."

"Hmph," Piccolo tapped his long fingernails against his biceps. "I guess the soldiers won't be as strong as I thought..."

Fuming, the angry mama placed the always smiling Pan on the ground and got inches away from Piccolo's face. "Excuse me!? I'll have you know I've been a martial artist ever since I could talk! You honestly believe a normal human being could handle that guy!?"

 _She's definitely not normal..._

Piccolo sighed. "I guess you have a point. You trained with Gohan and Bardock, after all. Now could someone please explain why two of Frieza's soldiers are here?"

Gine raised her hands in defense, and then pointed at Chi-Chi. "Don't look at me, she said she was going to get rid of them with that fan thingy."

Goku's wife shrugged her small shoulders, and casually placed a loose hair strand behind her ear. "The Bansho fan is always my trusty weapon of choice next to the frying pan, but I figured I could interrogate them before sending them away. I actually found something out!"

Piccolo stalked over to the soldier that had been sweating and remaining seated through the entire ordeal. He placed the tip of his index finger of the frog's forehead, causing him to gulp. "What is it, Chi-Chi? If I find out the information he gave you is faulty, I'll kill him on the spot."

Chi-Chi cleared her throat and held her nose up high, extremely proud of herself. "He said that Frieza plans on being here in six months."

Piccolo studied the soldier for a moment with careful eyes before removing his finger. The frog, on the verge of tears, let out a sigh of relief until the Namek growled.

"Damn, now we have less time than I thought to get prepared."

He felt a tug on his cape, expecting it to be Pan but narrowed his eyes when he saw it was Videl. Her baby blues were blinking rapidly.

"Prepared for what? The rest of these goons to arrive?" when he nodded, Videl punched his shoulder. "Then I'm going to prepare with you! I already took care of one."

"No!" Piccolo spoke so sternly, it caused Pan to hide behind her grandmother's legs. She loved Mr. Piccolo, but not when he was angry. He placed a firm hand on Videl's shoulder and lowered his voice slightly. "No. I can't allow that. You'll stay here or in your own home and continue living as you do now."

"You can't tell her what to do, Piccolo!" Chi-Chi shot back, causing the poor Namek to consider living on another planet far away from these women. "She can whoop all of you boys back into shape!"

"Come on, Mr. Piccolo!" Pan finally emerged, and gripped onto his little finger before he had a chance to snatch it away. Even as he lifted it, Pan hung on tightly until she was face to face with him in the air. "Let Mama play! Please!?"

When the child start quivering her lips to match her watery eyes, Piccolo sighed and dropped her to the ground gently. "Fine, fine. I guess it wouldn't hurt if you were around for the training. The battle field is a whole other story, though, you got that?"

Once Videl saluted him to show her understanding, Piccolo removed the soldier stuck to the wall with his right hand and used his left to drag the other, chair and all, towards the door.

"Where are you taking my hostages!?"

"They need to be officially taken care of. _This_ one already charged at you once," Piccolo nodded at Chi-Chi. "They're not good to have around. Make sure the kid doesn't see."

Once the Namek shut the door behind him, Videl could feel her daughter picking and prodding at her leg.

"Mama, where's Mr. Piccolo taking them?"

"Remember that movie we watched where the young boy had to take his dog away from the house to shoot him?"

"Ohh."

XX

* * *

Bardock was sweating more now than when Roshi had him do math.

"Come on, Dad, you got this!" Goku whispered. "This is the last chore before we can finally start the real training- OW!"

Vegeta had clonked his rival with the back of his gloved hand. "Shut up, Kakarot!" he whispered harshly. "Your loud mouth is just enough to set off these alarms. Remember what you did last time?"

Goku chucked nervously and looked over at his son. His bang that never seemed to stay upright like the rest of his spiky hair had been shortened dramatically after getting singed. "Sorry, son! Throwing you into that explosion was just a reaction."

"It's alright Dad," Gohan whispered back, and then turned his attention back to his grandfather. "Go Gramps! You already did the hardest part! Now just put the comforter on him!"

Bardock wasn't sure if he was red from the pressure, or from the embarrassing task. What the hell kind of training was this, changing the bedding of the God of Destruction! Cleaning his toilets, mowing the lawn, cooking! This was a day in the life of Chi-Chi, not a Saiyan warrior! He could only imagine how the prince was feeling, but the bastard already subjected himself to wearing a pink apron.

A man couldn't go lower than that.

Slowly, slowly, Bardock began tucking in the sleeping cat that could kill him five times before he hit the ground. At least once this demeaning task was completed, the actual training with Whis would begin. All he had to do was-

"...It's you."

The Saiyan blinked.

The god blinked.

The Saiyan began backing away slowly.

The god opened his mouth and released multiple purple blasts, sending him through the open window of Beerus' temple. Bardock felt like his entire body was on fire until he landed in the large, clear lake that was home of multiple fish. He opened his eyes after feeling himself being lifted up by a teal hand. Once his ears weren't water logged, he could hear Whis chuckling.

"Looks like you really got _burned_ on that deal."

"Please don't..."

Whis gently placed the soaked Saiyan on the grassy bay, but floated above him on the water. The humanoid smirked. Bardock looked more like a pouting child than Beerus did on his first day of training.

"Do you know why I brought you here? You're nowhere near as strong as the other Saiyans over there."

Bardock glared up at him. Sometimes, he just wanted to break that staff in half and shove it up his-

"Well, that's not very nice. Should I just have your son take you home?"

"No," Bardock stood up, starting to get annoyed by the fact this white-haired freak was making him feel like some sort of servant. He hovered above the water to match the teacher's height and folded his muscular arms over his chest. "Was it to take care of your house cat?"

Whis shook his head and allowed his staff to stand freely in the air. He mimicked Bardock's pose. "I have to admit it's been nice having my usual routine taken over by hardworkers, but no. After seeing your fight in the past, I'm _very_ interested in that form you took on. I don't believe I have ever witnessed it before."

Bardock couldn't look into his purple eyes anymore. Instead, he focused on a blade of grass that was getting droplets every time the water moved. "Yeah, yeah. You mentioned this before."

Whis sighed and motioned for the stressed out Saiyan to follow him. Reluctantly, Bardock listened. The two created streams of foam as they moved downward, taking in the sight of giant trees of green and strange but beautiful birds that would never be found on Earth.

"Whatever you're angry about, it's not your fault."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Vanilla Cone."

Whis looked down at his reflection, particularly his hair, and laughed. "Vanilla Cone, that's a new one. Just because you've tried everything and haven't even ascended to a Super Saiyan 2, that's no reason to be angry. You've got a form far, far superior. You choose to hide it since you feel as if you don't deserve it. But trust me, you do."

When Bardock didn't reply, Whis looked over his shoulder to see that he had stopped and was looking at him like he was a ghost.

"What? I'm right, aren't I?" Whis grabbed onto his staff and smiled at the confused Saiyan. "Stay right here. The most important part of training is working on a strong base form, so that's exactly what I'm going to do with you. I'm going to give the others some instructions first."

Not able to find words after being read perfectly, Bardock nodded and watched with disbelief in his eyes while Whis ordered his son to carry weights with his forearms while running a long track around the planet.

On the other side of the lake, Vegeta rolled his eyes at the sight of Kakarot struggling to lift the weights off the ground.

"Your father is an idiot."

Gohan shook his head, although he wore a smile. The two continued to do push ups in the weighted training clothes Whis had provided them, with the only instruction being to work on their base form before anything else. After a while of complete silence, Gohan finally cleared his throat when glancing at the prince beside him.

"Can I ask you something, Vegeta?"

The spiky-haired Saiyan grunted as he finished his second rep. His finger nails were dug deep into the soil that gave life to the green grass of the serene planet. As irritated as he was about the constant interruptions, at least he had others to compete with.

"What is it now, boy!? You're just like that clown, never shutting your mouth."

Gohan allowed a trickle of sweat to escape his nose and quench the grass. "My dad had me transform into a Super Saiyan God before we got here, for training purposes I guess. I don't think I ever saw you with red hair, though... And there's not enough Saiyans here..."

"I already achieved the power on my own."

Gohan froze mid push-up. He was sweating like crazy underneath the yellow astronaut-like suit given to them by Whis, but he suddenly felt cold. Vegeta continued to do his workout without missing a beat.

"Vegeta... How in the world did you do that?"

When the prince only responded by grunts from his training, Gohan looked away. His heavy eyes settled on the lake not too far ahead of him where Bardock and Whis were levitating on the water. Now that he thought about it, Bardock never transformed into a god before coming here either. The scarred warrior seemed to be getting angrier and angrier each time Whis hit him on the head with his staff.

"Do you think my gramps can get it on his own?"

The prince scoffed. He turned his chin away from the grass and held his head up to look at what was going on at the lake. Every time the buffoon got out of the water, Whis would only flip him back in. The cycle repeated itself over and over.

The idiot didn't even know the ascension beyond a Super Saiyan, but Vegeta had to give him a little credit. There was a transformation that only Bardock knew how to do, and its power had yet to be determined.

"Vegeta?"

"Keep doing push ups kid," was his reply. "Your grandfather has a lot to figure out."


	20. The God's Sword

"Aren't you one of them Saiyans?"

"And?"

Hercule's couches had been occupied by all the crazy women in his life (minus the groupies) once more. Videl was wearing her old training clothes of a baggy white shirt and shorts, and was currently tying up her boots. Chi-Chi was sipping tea and allowing Pan to sit in her lap. Gine would occasionally try to reach for a piece of wrapped chocolate that sat in the glass bowl in the center of them, but Majin Buu would glare until her hand went back to where it belonged.

Mr. Satan scratched the back of his afro. "Well... I mean, don't you have all those crazy powers like the guys do? Like the power to turn all yellow?"

Gine shook her head. "Mm-mm, nope. Fighting just isn't my thing unless it's absolutely necessary."

"I guess you and Buu have more in common than liking chocolate," Hercule grumbled. He was still wearing his pin-stripped pajamas when the ladies came knocking at his door. "Don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to see my grandbaby and baby and...others... but what's really going on here? I know you didn't come all this way for some coffee call."

"We need you to convince Buu to fight with us against Frieza," Videl looked up from her boots at last, her blue eyes piercing anyone that dared looked into them. Their light never faded even when Spopovich was knocking the blood out of her. "For the life of me, I can't understand why nobody has asked you yet."

Hercule placed his hand on his hairy chest as if he were offended. "Sweetie, you've got the world's champion right here! You don't need Majin Buu!"

"Oh please, are you still going along with that?" Chi-Chi's eyes narrowed. "Don't forget whose mama you're talking to here."

A blushing Mr. Satan scouted closer to his daughter's mother-in-law. The two of them were sharing a couch while Videl and Gine were directly across with Buu on a large chair with an aging and loyal Bee. The world's champion folded his hands into a prayer.

"Awh, Miss Chi-Chi. I could never be at the level your boy is, but I'm telling ya, I'm still the best around! I can fly now!" Hercule's eyes were twinkling now. "Besides, Buu isn't a fighter anymore. Isn't that right, bud?"

"Fight, fight? No, no!" Buu cheered. He poured the entire bowl of chocolate into his mouth while Gine watched in horror. "Buu only wants chocolate and yumyums now!"

"That's the same guy who kicked our butts," Videl blinked. "I don't believe it."

The childlike Majin clapped his hands excitedly, just so happy for no reason in particular. Gine concluded that was an amazing life to live, with no care in the world except for when your chocolate bowl was empty.

"Well, I guess he's pretty much a bust!" Chi-Chi placed Pan on the floor so she could go gather more toys that her grandfather spoiled her with. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and leaned back into the red cushion. "Hercule... I guess if you want to start joining them at Kame Island, you can. Just know the opponents you'll be facing are literally out of this world."

"Uh...Who exactly is 'them'?"

Videl held out one finger each time she named a fighter. "Uhh... Let's see. We've got Goten, Trunks, the other Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Roshi, myself... That's all who has been showing up for now."

Hercule nodded at each name, trying to match himself up with them in his mind. He could definitely take them all on, except for maybe the younger Trunks. That punch to the jaw from the Junior Division still ached to this day.

"What about you, Genie? That'll make an even ten and nobody will fight over me as a partner."

"It's _Gine,_ and I already told you about my views," she laughed to herself when Mr. Satan's frown deepened. "Still, I don't mind training. I just can't promise anything on the battlefield!"

Hercule flashed her a peace sign and ordered Buu to bring out more chocolate. The Majin disappeared quicker than lightening into the kitchen. Hearing him open the cabinets caused the champ's stomach to growl, reminding him he hadn't eaten breakfast yet.

"Wait a minute... Is there a buffet available?"

"You're looking at her," Chi-Chi winked. "Eighteen and I have been working as the first aid and chefs, but every now and then one of the boys will get rowdy and we have to put them back in place. I've also been offering yoga classes on the side if anyone's interested!"

Videl laughed while tying her growing locks into a small pony tail. "Chi-Chi, you know the only person who does that with you is Bardock."

The mention of the Saiyan's name caused the room to grow awkwardly silent. A few months had already come and gone and there was no word from any of them. They didn't want their men back for safety, they just wanted them back in their life. It was an unspoken connection all three women and Bulma had in common, and unbeknownst to them the guests on Beerus' temple felt the same.

During their absence, so much has already changed.

* * *

"Does she really need to be around while we train?"

"Whose house is this, Piccolo?"

The baby and the Namek blinked at each other. Little tufts of the baby girl's cerulean hair peaked out from underneath her red hat, knitted with love by her grandmother. She wore a onesie with little cherries on it, and she kicked her red-shoed feet happily once she was able to grab onto a part of Piccolo's cape.

She giggled delightfully, loving the texture and color. Ignoring the sound of her joy, Piccolo glared at the eyes of the woman who was holding the baby .

"It looks like Bra took a liking towards you already," Bulma grinned. "I guess it makes sense, Pan was practically your baby when she was born."

Blushing harder than ever, Piccolo pushed Bra as close as possible back to her mother and held his chin up high. "Sh-shut up. Where's your good for nothing son?"

"Gravity Room like usual."

Piccolo muttered something under his breath, but he paused on the tiles midway down the hall when he remembered something. He looked over his shoulder at the tired woman and frowned. "Hey... Did you ever get a hold of any of them?"

The mother gave an exaggerated shrug while throwing her hands in the air. "If Whis ever got any of my messages, I have no idea. He hasn't contacted me and I've even offered a giant sundae."

Piccolo deadpanned. "... I fail to see what a sundae can do..."

"Sweets are his favorite."

"Ah."

"PICCOLO!"

A voice caused the two to turn their head in the direction of the long hallway. A sweaty Goten, with a scowl just as big as his hair, came jogging to the alien. Piccolo tried to fight back his own grin when he noticed the kid's gi was looking more like his father's now, with short sleeves instead of long. He wasn't sure when this change came about.

"Why are you slacking off in here!? Don't you know Trunks and me got training to do before that Frieza guy comes?!"

Bulma laughed while Piccolo growled under his breath at the same time the young Trunks emerged. He was just as covered in perspiration as his best friend, but shared the same expression seeing their mentor running late.

"What took you so long!? Do you know how _painful_ it is training with you, and now you make it even worse by showing up late!?"

Piccolo appeared behind the whiners and smacked the back of their heads. The Namek glared down at the boys rubbing their now sore heads.

"We have less time than I thought. There's only three months, possibly less, until Frieza arrives. I'm not going to stress the importance of this anymore because I know you understand. You brats better follow me to Kame House, now! You'd be surprised to see who's joining us."

While Trunks nodded seriously after hearing the strict and urgent tone of Piccolo, Goten huffed under his breath.

"Hey! We made it there yesterday on our own just fine!"

"You were two hours late!" Piccolo snapped, causing the preteens to shrink even lower. They dropped their heads and looked at their boots sadly as their mentor continued his lecture. "Two hours worth of training gone, vanished, lost! Two hours worth of preparation! If this world blows up into smithereens, just remember it was because you two saw nothing wrong with wasting two hours away."

"Oh my gosh Piccolo!" Bulma rolled her eyes and pointed to the front door. Even Bra was starting to look a little frightened by the green man's words. "You weren't exactly on time today, either. Can you all just leave and give me some peace and quiet for once!? Bra and I will be there later today to cheer you on but please! Leave now!"

During her quick rant, Piccolo had already escaped. Goten followed suit, but Trunks was the last to leave. He waved his ever growing hand at the baby in the basket.

"Bye, ugly! Take care of Mom!"

Ugly looked at Mom, giving her her father's scowl. Bulma kissed the baby's forehead at the same moment she heard the main entrance of the housing part of Capsule Corporations reopen once more.

"Bulma, there's somebody-"

"Oh, good! Daddy, come here real quick and keep an eye on Bra! I really need to use the restroom!"

"But-"

Dr. Brief held his finger in the air after coming around the corner into the kitchen where he heard his daughter seconds ago. He learned many years ago from his wife that you can't slow down a woman when she has to go. The old scientist chuckled and looked down at his giggling granddaughter in her favorite basket.

"Sorry about that," he spoke to the guest behind him but kept his eyes on the baby girl. "It shouldn't take too long. Would you like a glass of water?"

A purple and white being with a lightening-like insignia on his chest nodded politely. "Please."

Dr. Brief nodded, and went to fetch a glass for someone instead of the other way around. He liked to be rebellious like that sometimes. The patrolman blinked his yellow eyes at the very small but strong infant giving him the same stare back.

"Bulma, you haven't aged a day since I last saw you!"

* * *

 _I miss them so much._

 _Don't get me wrong; I'm entirely thrilled and thankful to be here, having this opportunity... But... I don't know. I just can't fully enjoy it because of how much I think about them._

 _If I would have known I wouldn't be able to go back and see them, I would have never agreed. I would have hugged them a little longer. Kissed them more. Told them more..._

 _My poor Videl. Ol' Viddy. Video game. I hope she's doing alright without me..._

 _Poor Pan-Pan, without her Papa around I don't know what she'll do..._

 _Three months have passed and some strange things are happening. I can't really explain it, but I feel so different inside. Is this what being a 'god' feels like? Have I changed in looks? Have I gotten stronger? It's so hard to tell._

 _Anyway, I'll write later because somebody's breathing down my shoulder and I just remembered he knows how to read now so-_

"OUCH!" Gohan dropped his pen to the cold wooden floors and threw his head back. His grandfather and him shared the same scowl. "Go blow your nose, Gramps, I can see up your nostrils."

Without Gohan still sitting in it, Bardock lifted the chair from the floor and threw the father behind his back. His glasses flew off his face before he collided with them on the ground, smashing and ruining yet another pair of frames.

"Really, Gramps!? Really!?" Gohan grumbled and looked at the shattered remains next to him. Bardock crossed his growing biceps over his chest and stuck up his chin.

"Relax, kid. I bet you don't even need that shit anymore after that transformation you've gone through."

Blushing, Gohan dusted himself off once he got to his feet. The chair was all the way across the dark room all the Saiyans were forced to share, which honestly wasn't as chaotic as the young father believed. He looked down at his lenses-less frames and chuckled nervously.

"To be honest, I kinda like the way they look on me..."

Bardock rolled his eyes and examined the opened notebook on the desk behind him. He shook his head while lifting it up. His grandson could be the strongest Saiyan out of all of them if it weren't for things like this.

"You've always been way too soft," he mumbled but then spoke up after throwing the notebook over to him. "Do you want to hear my advice or are you happy looking like a lost puppy?"

Gohan tucked the frames into the breast pocket of the orange gi Whis had made for him. It would look exactly like his father's if he wore a navy belt, boots, and wrist bands instead of black ones. He got called all sorts of names for the Halloween colors, mostly pumpkin related, but Gohan really felt...cool! His glasses just made the look come together.

"Aright Gramps," he sighed. "What's your advice?"

Just like back at home, Bardock walked him over to the bed so they'd sit at the end of it together. The scarred Saiyan was the only one who hadn't changed his outfit, preferring his old armor and vehemently rejecting any other style Whis had to offer. At least he had learned to wash it, so nobody had to suffer through the stench of an unclean Saiyan warrior.

Not only had laundry become a weekly chore for the surprisingly still young great grandfather, he had also learned how to keep a clean room, how to heat up food, and even how to _cut_ the food.

When he got back home, he'd make a fool out of Gine - whose butchering skills he had far succeeded.

His hooded his eyes.

At least he succeeded someone in _one_ thing here.

"Remember when you moved out of the house and I treated you like shit?"

"How could I forget? You ignored me for days and even gave Goten extra attention!"

Bardock smirked when he could hear some slight jealousy in that voice that leaked conviction. "Yeah, anyway, I remember it fucking killed me because believe it or not I like having you around. On most days, you completely hidden your ki from the world when you were giving those...lecture things or whatever. You know why I didn't worry about you?"

Gohan shrugged. "Did Mom tell you?"

"Nope. I had to give her the same advice I gave you a long time ago, when I first told you about your grandmother. When someone means so much to you, you can sense that they're near you...without actually, you know, being near. You just know they're doing alright."

The grandson could vaguely recall that moment in the locker room at the World Martial Arts Tournament, but knew it was at that moment his grandfather was changing into someone else. He looked down at his wedding band and rubbed it with his thumb and forefinger.

"Well?"

"I can feel them right in here," Gohan smiled gratefully and pounded his chest. "They're okay."

Bardock nodded. "I can feel that too, kid. Come on, let's go train. This place smells like Vegeta."

"Oh, speak of the devil! Shouldn't his daughter have arrived by now!?" Gohan was rubbing his hands together and looking like a child who had just received his first twenty zeni. "Gosh, I wonder what they named her!"

"Some underwear, no doubt..."

"Hm, my money's on... Vegessica!"

"That's actually pretty disturbing, kid."

"No it's not! I'm going to call her that even if it's not her real name because it's better than some... _underwear_." Gohan shuddered as the two headed down the steps of their small temple to the gorgeous green grass beneath them. The prince and Goku were battling Whis in the water like Bardock always did in the mornings, and it always looked like such a struggle.

The poor father would never know.

Whis hasn't done any training with him during the entire three months he's been here.

"Isn't your brat named Pan?"

"Huh?" Gohan realized that his grandfather had kept walking while he zoned out watching his father get thrown into Vegeta, causing them to go underwater together and fight.

"My great granddaughter's name is Pan."

"And?"

"I don't think you have any room to talk bad about naming spawns."

"Uh? Kakarot? Radditz?"

Bardock raised his finger to silence Gohan, and the grandson already knew exactly why. A cold breeze had picked up and was slightly blowing the monkey-tailed Saiyan's hair in different directions. Gohan spotted the figure emerging from the bushes and clutched onto the sword he had been wearing behind his back. He removed it before the stranger came out in full display.

Before he could even get a word out, Beerus was greeted with the tip of a sword. His yellow eyes scanned upward, matching the weapon to a face with one bang resting against a sweaty forehead. He laughed cruelly, for the truth was out on full display. His palms that held the end of the sword were wet, his eyes couldn't remain steady, and Beerus could hear the beating of the man's heart sounding like the wings of a hummingbird.

Blushing, Gohan put his sword back where it belonged and struck his hand out to the god out of habit while Bardock groaned into his hand. Beerus looked at the hand extended towards him and then flickered his eyes upward.

"What were you trying to do?"

"Oh, uh, sorry Lord Beerus. I was just trying to shake your-"

"No, no. Not that," the cat had barely spoken two words to the hybrid since he's been here, and now Gohan was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. In that moment he wanted to go back to being ignored. "You were going to use your sword against a God of Destruction, weren't you?"

Bardock mumbled something under his breath and left the two alone to have a talk for once. The scarred Saiyan was never a fan of Beerus, nor Beerus was one of him. This left the monkey-tailed warrior the option of doing his own training regimen until the moon came up tonight.

That's when Whis instructed him.

Beerus extended his arm out and tapped the blade of Gohan's sword with his long finger nail. The young adult bent his head so the god could have full access to the weapon. "Do you think just because I made this, it'll give you a chance to cut off my whisker?"

"...You guys have whiskers?"

"..."

"S-Sorry, sir, LORD! Lord Beerus. I'm just a little nervous is all..."

Beerus got on the tip of his toes to look over at the waters, making sure Whis was too busy with the other idiots while his least favorite was doing push ups with a single finger. He motioned for Gohan to follow him into the forest, causing the poor father to gulp because he knew there was no other choice. The god led him to the very center of the woods and ordered him to stand an equidistant apart.

"Now, I don't normally do this so you better keep your mouth shut when Whis asks what you did today. You didn't see me, you didn't talk to me, I was never out of bed. Understand?"

"I-"

"Your lack of confidence disturbs me."

"Oh."

"It actually makes me feel ill. It's pathetic and you should be ashamed of yourself."

Gohan turned red and didn't know what to say. Instead, he began laughing. It ranged in various tones, from low to high to somewhere in between. He was just making the situation worse.

Sighing, the poor father looked down at his black boots.

"Is that why Whis hasn't trained me like he's done with my dad, Vegeta, and grandpa?" he looked up a panic, seeing Beerus raising his chin higher to show his superiority. "I mean, I don't mind being patient. And it's not really a lack of confidence, it's just... I don't know. I just can't hurt people when they haven't really done anything to me or others. The violence is pointless."

Beerus' tail did circular motions behind him while his lips curled into a peculiar smile. It was the same one he gave Gohan on the Sacred World of the Kais.

"And you're absolutely sure you have Saiyan blood?"

"Yes, Lord Beerus."

The God of Destruction placed his hands behind his back before treading around the area. Large trees had blocked them from the view of anyone on the ground or planning aerial attacks. The purple being paced back and forth, thinking to himself while Gohan waited patiently.

"Tell me something," he finally spoke but was looking down at his shoes. "I have no ties to anyone and hold no remorse. I could destroy your planet, killing that wife and daughter of yours and not feel a thing. I would actually enjoy it. The one you pointed your sword at today feels the very same way, although he has no business being in this universe that fat son of a-"

Realizing he was getting off topic, Beerus cleared his throat and continued. This time, he looked directly into the eyes of the Saiyan.

There was a fire in his eyes at last.

"You've got the power to destroy a planet as well, and I find that thrilling. But what strikes me even more is that fact your ki is stronger than your father's, and he gave me the best fight of my life. I just have to get that rage out of you..."

Gohan eyed the god cautiously, unsure of what his true intentions were. Secretly, the guy really liked Lord Beerus. At the same time, he understood Bardock's mistrust.

Beerus had his back to him now and was forming something Gohan couldn't see. Still, the hybrid removed the sword from behind his back and got himself prepared for whatever could happen. He crouched down, and raised the weapon given to him by the god above his head.

When Beerus had finally turned around, he was holding the very same thing except where Gohan's was silver, his was purple.

"I don't enjoy weapons myself, but I think this will be very entertaining. A good old fashioned sword fight with an extremely entertaining wager. Don't you just feel all tingly inside?"

Gohan narrowed his brows. "What wager?"

A cruel laughter escaped Beerus' lips, causing Gohan to wonder whose side this guy was really on after all.

"The life of your wife, of course."


	21. Sacrifice

The first and last time Gine had ever been to Orange Star High School was the day of Gohan's graduation.

Her small hand rolled itself into a fist as she knocked gently on the glass door. She rapped a few times until a woman wearing an awkward smile opened the door for her.

"Ma'am?" When the woman chuckled, the brown bun on top of her head jiggled. "There was no need for knocking. The door was unlocked."

Blushing, Gine bowed to her as a sign of thanks and entered the small office. The only full-blooded female Saiyan alive clasped her hands together and held them in front of her while waiting for the woman to sit down in her chair again.

The secretary of Orange Star High had a natural swing of her hips as she walked, causing the floral print on her dress to look like flowers blowing in the wind. She adjusted her glasses before pulling out a piece of paper.

Gine looked behind the semi-busy woman to the large photographs hanging on the wall. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then, it dropped wide open. She had to squint to make sure what she saw was real.

Bardock! Smiling!

Well, sort of.

It was a group picture of the faculty for the current school year, and the taller teachers had to stand in the back. On the highest bleacher, right smack dab in the center, was her mate. He was forced to wear that tuxedo he hated and was destroyed during his transformation at Gohan's wedding. His headband was redder than ever and his eyes were closed shut. Gine's squint was able to make it clear now that this picture was snapped during one of his yawns.

"Jeanie?"

Knowing that wasn't her name but startled by the sudden sharpness of the secretary's voice, Gine finally looked away from the photo. They looked at each other in silence before the heel-wearing woman coughed and stood up.

"The principal is ready to see you now. Follow me."

Gine's feet were so light on the floor that the secretary had to look over her shoulder to make sure she was still there. Once they arrived to their destination, she offered Gohan's grandmother a genuine but exhausted smile and held the door open. Gine paused in the doorway and felt a sweatdrop when a man rose from his seat behind a desk and was revealed to be nearly three times her height.

"It's Jeanie," his secretary nodded. "Coach Bardock's wife."

"Ah, yes!" The principal's voice was a little too high to match with his body. His large hand shook Gine's miniature one once the woman closed the door. "It's so good to finally meet you! I'm Mr. Pen."

"Mister...Pen..." Gine blinked and then feigned a laugh when she saw the cup full of writing instruments on his desk. "Oh, I get it.."

"...Get what?"

"N-Nothing!" In order to change the subject, Gine dug into the pocket of her small purple purse and took out the letter they had received in the mail. "According to this, you're concerned about my husband's...situation?"

Mr. Pen took on a serious expression as he pointed to the seat on the other side of his desk. "Yes. Take a seat, Jeanie."

Gine tugged at the neckline of the yellow sweater Bardock absolutely loathed, only because Chi-Chi knitted one for each family member. When she sat down, Mr. Pen was already eyeing her suspiciously. The sweat rolling down her neck didn't really help her case, either.

"I'll get right to the chase," Mr. Pen folded his hairy hands together and rested them on the desk. His comb-over was as brown as his solid tie. "The students and faculty here at Orange Star just love Coach Bardock. He's a really great guy. When we got the message from Videl Satan that he was in the hospital, we tried over and over to send him flowers and cards but everything was always sent back. I decided to investigate myself, and you know what I found?"

Gine was fiddling her thumbs on her hidden lap, resembling her younger grandson more than anything. Out of everything Videl could have come up with, that's what she said!?

All the wife could do was shake her head.

Mr. Pen let out a heavy sigh. "Bardock _never_ checked into the hospital. It's been six months. He's missed the majority of the school year and we are just about a month away from summer break."

"Oh..."

The principal arched a fuzzy brow and leaned toward 'Jeanie' more, causing the woman to slink down further in her chair. "Now you gotta be honest with me. I know that your family is heavily involved with the world champ. Is Bardock..."

Gine bit her lower lip. She wasn't expecting to be interrogated about her husband's background. Chi-Chi had warned her over and over again not to reveal the truth to the people of this Earth because she'll wind up on those magazines in the grocery store with the headline: 'I married an alien!'

"HE'S NOT AN ALIEN!"

"-Part of the Earth's special forces... Wait, what?"

"What?"

"Is Bardock part of the Earth's special forces?" Mr. Pen asked again, ignoring Gine's random outburst. The poor woman's chest was heaving; she must have tried covering this lie for some time but good ol' Mr. Pen knows everything. "Come on, you can tell me... Everyone knows Mr. Satan and his disciples protect this Earth while we go on with our normal every day lives. Is he one of Mr. Satan's disciples, stuck in an underground war for humanity?"

Gine habitually pulled on her ear. She knew these people in Satan City were strange, but this one took the cake. She shrugged her dainty shoulders.

"Yes. Bardock is one of Satan's followers."

"I knew it!" Mr. Pen laughed and clapped his hands excitedly. He was so enthused, that he stood up and pointed a finger at Gine's forehead. "Jeanie, your husband is one hell of a guy! Tell him to take all the time he needs, and when he comes back we'll have a huge celebration in his honor!"

Not knowing what to say or do, Gine shook his finger and stood up.

"Y-Yes well, I need to get going. Special forces type stuff, you know?"

Mr. Pen shook his head repeatedly as if he completely understood. He placed a hand on Gine's upper back and walked her down the hall. "Yes, yes, yes! You just be sure to tell Coach B about that party, alright!? Oh man, I can't wait!"

After some awkward goodbyes to the office staff, Gine left the building confused for two reasons. Reason one, was that she couldn't believe so many people found her husband lovable after all the curse words he'd say after work. Reason two, was this sorted half-truth half-not was hilarious.

Videl was waiting in her red car in front of the school with Pan happily coloring in the backseat. Typically, they'd put the vehicle in a capsule and fly to Kame Island, but so much training was in for the day that they decided to take this small trip easy.

Her granddaughter smiled sweetly at her when she climbed into the passenger seat.

"So how'd it go? Well?" She held two thumbs up, hoping it'd be so.

"Surprisingly well. The stubborn fool even has a party waiting for him once he gets home."

Pan wrapped her arms around her great grandma's neck and grinned. "I hope him, Daddy, and Grandpa come home soon! I miss them!"

Videl didn't answer her sweet daughter, but both of the women agreed so much so that their hearts ached for a second. The driver shook the feeling off, knowing this was for the best and when the time came Gohan will be there.

He always was.

* * *

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

Gohan's hand clenched tighter on the handle of his sword, turning the skin of the hybrid god completely white. The way Beerus' lips were curled into a betraying smirk let the father of one beautiful girl understand that the God of Destruction could not be trusted.

"You wouldn't dare."

Beerus admired the sword in his own powerful hand. He honestly wasn't expecting it to be this good looking given the lack of a Supreme Kai, but the purple glow embracing the blade was fine enough.

The deity's yellow eyes left his creation to glance at his opponent. His position caused Beerus to arch a brow bone. Gohan's right leg was lunged forward, and his left foot was resting on the tip of his toes. Two hands were wrapped around the handle while the long, sharp blade was resting on his shoulder and aimed downward.

"What is that, that you're doing right there?"

"Don't change the subject!" Gohan yelled back, surprisingly sharp. It was still hard, however, to cover up the reddening of his face. "You threatened the life of Videl, so there's no backing out now!"

"You look like a dancer," Beerus strolled over to the steaming Saiyan and ignored the death glare he was receiving on the other end. The purple skinned cat stopped inches away from the dancer and held his own sword above his head by the handle. "Here. Watch me."

Unblinking and at a loss for words, Gohan did as Beerus asked and watched him drop to the grass. The blade of the sword was now pointed directly at Gohan's face while resting above Beerus' head. His left leg was outstretched while his right foot was propped up to support his weight.

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Gohan did his best to defend himself, but his words were coming out jumbled and weak. "It's just... Uh..."

"I can stab you in the gut right now if I wanted to."

"Oh..."

"If you take on positions like the one I'm demonstrating, every part of your body is protected. You could come across an opponent much faster and smarter than you and you'll be dead doing something like...that."

'That' referred to Gohan's current stance. The embarrassed adult quickly brought himself to Beerus' level and raised his sword above his head until the ends of both their blades were touching.

"Th-Thank you, Lord Beerus."

Leaving Gohan down, Beerus rose and scoffed. "Don't take that as a sign of companionship. I was in the same position about three thousand years ago and wish someone had given me the same advice."

Gohan still had a bedhead, so his wild hair-horns stuck out in all directions as his widening eyes caused his forehead to move upward. "Three thousand years!? Are you immortal-"

The father's words were cut short when Beerus' foot connected with his neck. Gohan released his sword before colliding with a tree, knocking it over and causing a domino effect. The deity shook his head and picked up Gohan's sword, holding two weapons now as he walked over to the other fighter.

Gohan was on his knees, spitting out blood after Beerus' forceful attack. He ended up spraying some of the red liquid on Beerus' brown shoe that had just appeared in front of him.

"H-How could I," he spoke to the bloodied shoes between breaths after getting the wind knocked out of him. "How could I have not seen that coming?"

"You get too relaxed and trusting like that father of yours," Beerus threw one of the swords down to the rightful owner. "Do I need to remind you what's at stake here? The only reason I use Whis as transportation is because I get lazy. I can get to Earth a lot faster than you think."

Gohan closed his eyes tightly as if that would bury the pain away quicker. Still hurting, the Saiyan grabbed his sword on his way to standing up once again. He studied Beerus with blurred vision, now wishing that Bardock hadn't broken his glasses.

"Why are you winking at me?"

"I'm not! I can't see after that attack, you string bean!"

Beerus hooded his yellow eyes. "My brother uses those corny names all the time. Perhaps you're just as pathetic as him. Another reason why Whis prefers not to train you."

Gohan wiped the remaining blood off his chin with his bare forearm. He blinked a couple times while feeling out Beerus' ki to make sure he wasn't on the move. Once his clear vision was coming back, the hybrid glared at the deity with a new ferocity reflecting in his pupils.

"I don't really think that's the reason at all!"

Beerus planted the blade of his sword into the ground and used the exposed and sturdy handle to rest his elbow on. He yawned loudly; traces of saliva dropped down his sharp fangs.

"Is it because you're boring? You're doing a good job at putting me to sleep."

"Whis doesn't want to train me because he already knows I'm stronger than you!"

This statement caught Beerus' attention. A renewed outlook on the Saiyan in front of him had emerged in his deathly eyes. Now standing up straight, Beerus placed his hands on his hips and sneered.

"From lacking confidence just minutes ago to this. My attack must have messed with your senses too much if you truly believe what you're saying." The only way to describe his tone to Gohan's ears was one that was void of all humor. It was clear to Gohan now that he had said something he shouldn't have once a darker side of Beerus was beginning to take over.

Although Gohan was just trying to bait Beerus into more back-talk, the hybrid couldn't take back his words now. Despite the fear beginning to form in the pit of his stomach as a purple energy surrounded his opponent, Gohan stood tall and spoke with authority.

"Are you finally ready to fight?"

Gritting his teeth together, Beerus pulled the sword out from the ground and charged towards the suddenly cocky Saiyan. His hands were holding onto the blade, and it was unclear to Gohan just how tight his grip was because there wasn't any blood leaking from the god's hands. The wild look in his eyes and the way he held the weapon like his life depended on it caused Gohan to think of his mother and his broom.

"You're smiling because you're thinking of those Earthlings!" Beerus hollered as soon as their swords collided. In the middle of the forest, Gohan was fighting off the sword of his enemy. His arms began shaking along with his knees as the deity began over powering him. "I wonder if that smile would still remain when you come home to find them dead!"

From behind the blade, Beerus swore he saw Gohan's eyes turn ice blue for a moment. The hybrid released one hand from the sword to form it in a fist, now feeling certain one was good enough to fight off the purple-skinned deity force.

Beerus' pupil widened as he watched his own blade coming down on him. Granted, he wasn't even close to using even half his power but this was perplexing. He peered at the hybrid once more, to see if his forehead was sweating with strained veins yet.

"What's this...?"

Gohan's jet black hair was as blue as his eyes were, on and off. All the deity had seen from these Saiyans were either golden or red, but never blue. His question was answered by the fist of the clueless transforming god, which dug into gut. Beerus slid backwards holding his sword in the same face-protecting position it had been seconds ago. By no means was he hurt, but he certainly was intrigued.

Gohan knitted his brows together as Beerus lifting his own knee up to break his sword in half. Now having one jagged dagger and one sharp dagger, the God of Destruction teleported behind his new experiment and the two began running through the forest. With Gohan going backwards, he was forced to fight off the double weaponry of Beerus.

The speed that their feet could move caused the two to look like a giant blur that makes the trees' leaves dance in fright. Beerus growled at Gohan's ability to keep up and slashed a part of his orange gi so his black undershirt was exposed.

"I'm not immortal to answer your question," The deity gave the daggers a rest and placed them in his pockets. Looking more relaxed than he should be, the cat allowed Gohan to be the chaser as he floated backwards with his hands behind his head. "Immortality is a curse I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"I'm sure a guy like you has tons of them."

Beerus' shoulders shook when he chuckled. He intended to fight this half-Saiyan being seriously, but now he was just growing curious. "Let's do this the old fashion way, shall we?"

Before Gohan could ask him what he meant by that, the spiky-haired husband watched Beerus remove the daggers from his clothing and drop them to the passing ground. Hoping he'd be able to find his sword again, Gohan reluctantly dropped it as they came to a stop.

"Would you like to start it, Lord Beerus?"

The change in his voice made the deity narrow his eyes. He was sounding like his usual polite self again, even going as far as calling him Lord instead of string bean. There was something very strange about both him and his father, but at least this one wasn't dense.

Hovering above the grass, Beerus sent quick jabs to Gohan's neck with the side of his strong hand. The hybrid wasn't able to dodge it, but could feel something strange happening inside of him when the blows occurred. The opponent must have noticed it too, but instead of asking about it, he attempted a knee to the face which Gohan blocked.

"What are you?"

"I'm an Earthling with Saiyan blood."

Beerus elbowed Gohan in the face harshly and kicked him in the neck, sending him backwards. "That's not what I meant. That old Kai must have performed that damned ritual on you."

Gohan was still in a fighting stance that complemented his father, not wanting to let Beerus get another hit on him. Luckily, none of the attacks were hurting too badly to discourage his decision to fight a God of Destruction. "Oh, yeah. I've had mystic abilities for years now but it's a process I have to go through a lot or else I lose the power. I haven't transformed into an actual Super Saiyan in forever!"

"You can't lose a power that's been hidden inside of you since birth. Spending all that time with Kais is meaningless."

Slightly dropping his defenses now, Gohan lowered his hands and eyed Beerus carefully. The god didn't seem to be in attack mode, either. "Not if it decides to remain dormant. You need to wake it up constantly, just like you and your alarm clock bombs."

Gohan wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Beerus smile. The cat motioned for him to follow, and within seconds the two were on the ground again. Beerus cleared his throat and rested his sword-less hands behind his back while his long tail swished around.

"This wasn't what I was expecting at all, but you _will_ give me a real fight to the death at some point. I don't want to remind you what I will do if we don't."

Knowing it still wasn't good to trust him, Gohan nodded. "Do you want some milk? I think I have some in the fridge back in the room."

"Just because I look like a cat doesn't mean I drink milk!" Beerus' temper rose, and for a second Gohan thought he was going to kick him in the neck again. Instead, the God of Destruction turned his nose up and walked faster to the temple. "But I will still take it."

Gohan grinned. Soon, the two were out of the woods and back near the lake where Goku and Vegeta had ended their training with Whis and were now off doing their own reps. He was unsure of where his grandfather had gone, but Gohan was greeted by the white-haired and proper caretaker/world's strongest teacher.

"Oh, good. I'm glad to see you're in one piece!" Whis smiled. "I asked Lord Beerus to be your trainer from now on since you two compliment each other more, but I didn't think he'd actual wake up and do it."

Stunned, Gohan's mouth dropped. It wasn't some fight Beerus was searching for, he was _training_ him. Dorky ol' normal Gohan, getting trained under the God of Destruction!

The father looked around to thank the deity for today's lesson, but he had already disappeared.

* * *

Tien's all three eyes deadpanned the moment Hercule Satan arrived to Kame Island with his daughter, granddaughter, and the wife of Bardock. The former Crane student crossed his massive arms over his chest and glared at Piccolo. When Piccolo could feel his look burning into the side of his face, the Namek growled and looked at him.

"What?"

"It's _your_ fault he's here. You're the one that taught him how to fly."

Piccolo's face flared up as he thought about all his possible victims that knew the secret. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Tien smirked. Sometimes, it was nice to get under the Namek's skin. With Vegeta gone, he was the only serious person left. All three eyes had suddenly squinted when there was the sound of a copter approaching.

"Who's that with Bulma?"

Piccolo glared up to see the mother, daughter, and a stranger landed on the beachy shore of Kame Island. His ki was that of someone's new.

Gotenks propped his elbow on Krillin's forehead, embarrassing the police officer. The fused boy and the boys themselves were growing ever so taller than him! "Yo, Piccolo! Who's that with her?"

Piccolo looked over his shoulder at the cooking Chi-Chi, who shrugged. He figured the wife of Goku was caught up on all the latest happenings, but remembered nothing really ever happened to her on Mount Paozu. He even doubted there was phone service.

"HI BOYS!" Bulma shouted from the opened hatched. Her hand not holding the baby girl was waving madly. Gotenks flew up on the ship and held onto his half-sister while glaring at the strange pilot.

"Who's this?"

"Gotenks, this is Jaco the Galactic Patrolman!" The genius said his name with such dignity, that Jaco held his head up high. "Jaco, this is my... uhm, fused son Gotenks! My actual son is part of him."

Jaco studied the black hair with purple streaks first before widening his eyes at the widow's peak. This kid definitely resembled the photo of Bulma's husband that was back at Capsule Corporations. "Ah, yes. I've heard of fusion before. Nice to meet ya!"

"Uh," Gotenks sweatdropped while Bra buried her head into his chest. This Jaco guy was definitely weird. "Same."

When they all hopped off the ship, Bulma introduced Jaco to everyone on the island. Jaco took a step back to observe Gotenks again and nodded repeatedly.

"Uh huh, uh huh," Jaco glared at his old time family friend. "I saw pictures in your home with a much older son. Just how old _are_ you?"

The patrolman was able to dodge a punch from the bluenette, and the fighters continued their training. Once Bulma had calmed down, she took a deep breath and patted Brief's shoulder.

"I'm not old! That man is Trunks. He's my son, from the future."

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Jaco pointed an accusing finger at the blinking Bulma. "Time travel is a serious offense! As soon as this mess with Frieza gets straightened out, I'm placing you under arrest!"

"JACO!" Bulma threatened with a fist. "You wouldn't dare!"

The purple and white galactic patrolman opened his mouth to fight back with her, but found himself stuck in silence as an eerie feeling had gone through everyone on Kame Island. Tien had brought his foot back to the sand before he could kick Krillin's chin, while the policeman himself lowered his defensive fists. Gotenks had separated, and now the two young boys looked to Piccolo for answers.

"It's time," The Namek nodded at Videl and Hercule, the weakest of the bunch. "Is there anyway I can convince you to stay here?"

Mr. Satan looked nervously at his daughter, hoping she'd say yes for the both of them but already knowing her stubborn side all too well. The woman's hair that had grown so long was in her teenage pigtails. She had meant to cut it before the battle, but it was too late now.

"No way."

"Thought so," Piccolo muttered. "What about you Gine?"

The female Saiyan shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm not going to fight. I just want to be there when Bardock comes and I'll go."

"If you even have a chance to leave."

All eyes were on the turtle hermit, who had remained silent the majority of today's training. Krillin had already kissed his wife and daughter, who had taken Chi-Chi with them, goodbye.

"What do you mean by that, Master?"

"I've said it once and I'll say it again," From behind his glasses, Master Roshi glared at the sky and aimed his cane at an invisible opponent. "Death is in the air."

XX

* * *

"Are you ready to try it?"

"You sure it's going to work?"

"Nope, but I'm still excited!"

The midnight moon above was reflecting in the clear waters below, and Bardock turned away from the beautiful sight to roll his eyes at Whis. The other Saiyans and Beerus were knocked out snoring, and the scarred grandfather wished he could be doing the very same instead of going along with his current teacher's experiment.

"Look... I don't really feel comfortable with this."

Whis sighed loudly and rested his cane against the bark of a nearby tree. He had given up his personal sleep as well just to get this moody monkey up to par, and Bardock was still unforgiving of himself. The humanoid was forced to look at the back of his messy hair since he didn't want to look him in the eyes anymore.

"We've spent way too long on this for you to give it up now. I'm raising potential replacements for Lord Beerus here. Please don't take all the time I've given you for granted."

Bardock rested his head on his arms and leaned back into the grass. He kept his eyes closed so he couldn't see the moon. "I don't take shit for granted, trust me. I deal with over one hundred little jackasses on Earth five days a week. I just don't' understand why this can happen to me when I can't even achieve what I've been dying to for years now."

"You just skipped it is all. Prince Vegeta has done the same."

The Saiyan growled loudly, scaring the birds. Whis frowned as they flew away.

"Ah, just shut up already! You know me and him aren't equals."

Whis clicked his tongue and lifted Bardock by his ear off the grass. He ignored the Saiyan's curse words as he dragged him a little further away from the temple in case the power up was too strong. "I think I've heard just about enough of that talk. The prince and yourself just received the power in different ways. He got it on his own, and I gave it to you. But the form I've been searching for was already part of you. I just gave it an upgrade."

Rubbing his sore ear, Bardock looked at Whis like a kindergartner who had just gotten scolded. "You didn't have to drag me like that, vanilla cone..."

"Look at the moon. Now."

Taking a deep breath, the stubborn Saiyan complied. They had gone through this transformation every night, and Bardock had done it so many times that eventually his Oozaru form didn't last as long as it use to. Once Whis saw the large furry body begin to change, he clasped his teal hands tightly together and waited in hopes of something new.

When they fought earlier, a strange light caused by Bardock's new ki appeared in his straight punch. The humanoid truly believed it was a sign that tonight was the night a hybrid transformation would be born. Whis watched in silence as the ground beneath his feet began trembling at the might of an unseen power. The lake behind him was rippling in fear of what was to come, while the sky became entranced by the mysterious blue aura taking over Bardock's body until he became one with the light.

"Very interesting... Can you hear me, Bardock?"

Whis couldn't place his finger on it, but something was off. If the transformation had worked, and if this _was_ the transformation, Bardock still fell short to the likes of his son. The humanoid would need to train him in his new form from now on in order to give Bardock what he wanted.

"If you can hear me, please show yourself. I want to see your new appearance."

Although the blue aura lingered around him like a smoke cloud, the shape of the Saiyan emerged. Through the light of the moon, Whis could see the pissed-off expression of a Super Saiyan 4 with one blue eye, one red eye, and bloodied hair that was contrasted against icy-blue streaks. His red tail swayed sharply behind him and curled around his waist that was covered by green pants.

"Well?" His voice came out deep, rough. "Is it bad?"

"Not at all! A hybrid indeed!" Whis teasingly fist pumped the air one time before bringing his arm back down to his side. "You just remind me of those mutts Earthlings adopt because they feel bad for them."

* * *

"Looks like the cavalry has finally arrived."

Resting more comfortable than ever in his throne after what he had gone through, Frieza chuckled cruelly overlooking the fighters who decided to challenge him on their judgement day. The main one he cared about couldn't be sensed, but the tyrant knew he'd come to stick his nose in everyone else's business like usual.

Tagoma loyally stood on his right, while Sorbet manned the left. Thousands upon thousands of their fellow soldiers were gathered behind him, more than prepared to take on such a small army of Earthlings. The purple-skinned alien proudly stood straight without his scouter, scanning the island beneath them as the fighters began appearing one by one.

Tagoma spat. "What pathetic excuses for a life."

"I want you to kill one of them right away for me. Can you handle that?"

"I'm honored, sire."

Frieza chuckled and remained silent as that Namek from before showed his ugly mug, followed by a three-eyed disaster carrying an old man, and the bald boy he had murdered before.

And then the next group came in.

The tyrant straightened up. A young boy with the same stupid haircut as Goku was smiling the same stupid smile and was practically joined at the hip with a lavender-haired kid that resembled the man who sliced him up. Not only that, but a female with a monkey's tail popped up out of nowhere. Behind her, a red ship was the hiding spot for a blue-haired woman and her baby, and another young girl with black hair was doing her best not to be seen.

"Good god they've multiplied!" Frieza's eye twitched at the thought. "The other monkey and his other son aren't even accounted for!"

"The prince isn't here either Sire," Sorbet finally spoke. He had been nervous this entire time, but felt relieved not to see the two he was most concerned about. "Do you think he still lives on Earth?"

Frieza waved him off. "Vegeta loathes Son Goku. We won't have a problem there, but if one occurs you know what to do."

Once the short blue-skinned alien turned his attention back to the Earthlings, a fight among them had broken out right before Frieza could make his grandiose speech.

"GO BOYS! I'll keep trying to get your fathers down here, okay!?" Bulma was shouting from behind Jaco's ship, but emerged to show them that Bra was cheering too.

"You brought a baby to the battle field!?" Trunks groaned for the sake of his mother's thinking.

Frieza began tapping his fingers angrily while the Earthlings began bickering, but it didn't look like anyone was leaving. He motioned with his index finger for Tagoma to come closer than he already was.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Go take one out. Any of them. Just leave the vested monkey alone."

Videl looked up at the sky at all the soldiers blocking the clouds. There had to be thousands of them. Thousands of alien soldiers, who had their own tactics of war and only wanted to kill or follow a tyrant's orders. The brave woman found herself gulping, beginning to think this was a mistake. She could feel Piccolo looking at her as if he thought the same.

"N-No," her voice struggled to come out strong at first but then she found her way. She stood up straighter and prouder, knowing who she was fighting for. "All of us working together can never be brought down. They are nothing compared to us."

"Videl, honey," Hercule nervously tugged at his robe. The poor champ had no idea what he was getting into when he volunteered. Damn that Gine for not giving him enough information. "I think we should leave it up to the other guys. They come from other planets too, ya know? What's the point of dying when we've got so much to live for? We've got legions of fans and-and-and they're printing my face on a mug next week-"

When her father had suddenly stopped running his mouth without someone making him, Videl tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong, Dad? Are you getting scared?"

The Afro-haired man could only point a trembling finger at someone much taller than his daughter.

The mother and wife pivoted around slowly to see a purple skinned alien wearing Saiyan armor. He had his forefinger and middle finger pressed to his forehead with one hand while his other held an attack he'd been charging since his time in the sky with Frieza. Piccolo had seen it coming, but was finding his words of warning to come out slower than usual.

Piccolo ran, and ran, and ran. But it seemed the faster he went, the attack doubled in speed. He closed his eyes and lunged forward, remembering the silent promise he made to Videl the day Gohan left.

It wasn't until Pan screamed from behind Jaco's spaceship that everyone realized what had just happened. Piccolo could hear his heart beating in his ears, disbelieving the scene just a mere foot away from where his feet had failed to cross.

* * *

The fighting had ceased.

Goku had to grab onto Vegeta's fist before it hit him in the face, and when the angered prince yelled at him for ruining their spar, Goku pointed in the direction of his son. Bardock had left Whis behind to run to his side, but his son was still quicker than him.

Beerus arched his eyebrow and stood beside Whis and Vegeta, both of whom were confused.

"Did you get into another sword fight and stab him?" The flame-haired prince questioned the God of Destruction. It was the only clear explanation as to why he was clutching his chest and looking pale in the face. Either that, or he somehow inherited his father's heart disease. When the purple-skinned deity shook his head, Vegeta grunted and brought his attention back to the Son family.

Goku was kneeling on the grass, joining Gohan. The son was using his hand that wasn't holding his aching heart to grip onto the grass as if his life depended on it. When the messy-haired hero placed his hand on his back, he could feel the decreasing temperature in his body that shook.

"Talk to me, son. What's wrong? Are you getting sick? You can take some time out to rest!"

Gohan blinked his burning eyes at the pair of green-tipped boots that appeared and shook his head. His grandfather was looking down at him with his arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"I can't explain it... But I just got this huge pain in my chest and it's making me feel so sick."

Bardock dropped to his knees and forced Gohan's head up so they could search each other's eyes.

"What do you mean by a huge pain, kid?"

Gohan squinted, becoming a little off-put by his grandfather's unsettling tone of voice.

"I don't know... it's like a bad feeling running throughout my whole body."

 _Bad feeling...?_

Whis took a long look at the orb of his staff and sucked in his breath. He cleared his throat loud enough for the Saiyans to all look at him.

"Chalk it up to carelessness on my part, but it seems I have missed quite a few messages."


	22. The Saiyans Return

**A/N: IMPORTANT!**

Future Trunks has been erased from this story because of a couple reasons. Just look at the reviews I've gotten if you're curious lmao. Some of the readers of this story have gotten so mad at me for bringing him back the way I did but at the time the interview with Toriyama about Future Trunks coming to Dragon Ball Super wasn't even out yet.

That's the trouble writing about something that's incomplete. We have no idea what's going to happen and then if it goes in another direction, this story seems foolish. I had no idea he would be returning to the Dragon Ball world, but I'm so happy he did because I love his arc much much much better than anything I could have come up with on my own.

 **Champa and Vados have NOT been introduced yet. That is the other change and I believe last one I made.**

I've been working full time and I do not always have the time to do what I love, but it kinda sucks when you want to return to something that has gotten so much hate but at least I'm trying and putting my crap out there. I will keep on doing it, too. I will take advice and criticism proudly and continue editing because I am NOT giving up on this. I'm so far behind as far as the timeline goes but maybe that's for the best so I don't look incompetent again.

That being said... a HUGE thank you to those who have been sending me such beautiful messages and words of encouragement. It keeps me returning and I hope that this chapter (after making changes) is good enough for ya.

* * *

The grounds of Beerus' temple had never been so silent.

Vegeta had turned his back on Whis to glare at one of the boulders in the river. Not only had his daughter been born, but his fool of a wife actually brought her close to _him_. His gloved fingers tapped rapidly against the armor sleeves that covered his muscular biceps. His thoughts had been jumbled around within the last five minutes but his next plan of action was ready.

The only Saiyan capable of turning into a Great Ape still was breathing like one. His shoulders were moving up and down, as if that action would fight off the beast within. His fists balled up tightly and he began punching the ground over and over again, causing the planet to tremble with his rage. The prince narrowed his eyes and picked Bardock up by the strap of his armor.

"Get a hold of yourself!" he snapped and shoved him at his son. "How long would it take you to get us there?"

Whis blinked when he realized Vegeta was looking in his direction. He glanced at the imaginary watch on his wrist, already knowing the answer. "Around thirty minutes."

Goku furrowed his dark brows. "Frieza could destroy the planet in less than half that time," He had to pause when Bardock let out a blood-curdling scream. Beerus glared at him for the noise while Gohan shuffled around rubbing his thumbs together nervously. "I'm going to have to pick up on someone's ki down there."

Vegeta opened his mouth to speak, but Bardock grabbed Goku tightly by the shoulders. The son could see his father's eyes had become badly bloodshot and cold.

"You have to do it now, Kakarot. I'll never forgive myself if we lose them."

Vegeta had to look away again when his rival nodded with discipline. They were all aware of the severity of the space tyrant being so damn close to their families, but what the prince couldn't understand was who in the hell would resurrect that bastard. How could none of the ki-sensing fighters they knew sense it happening? Did anyone even see Shenron in the darkened sky?

 _We're going to have to work on that, Trunks. Damn it..._

"Hurry it up, Kakarot!"

"I'm trying!"

Vegeta muttered under his breath while looking over his shoulder at the orange-clad Saiyan. Although his fingers were pressed to his forehead and his eyebrows were scrunched together tightly, it didn't really look like he was trying much at all. The clown's father looked like he was close to ripping someone's head off and his son was as pale as a ghost.

Gohan paused mid shuffle in front of the prince and swallowed through a dry throat. His voice was small, and he didn't even need to try to whisper. "Are you thinking of your daughter, too?"

"Pan's fine, Gohan. Nothing's happened."

The flame-haired Saiyan was never the one to talk much, so Gohan simply nodded and stared off in the forest where Beerus and himself had been battling. If nothing had happened, why was the hybrid feeling so sick? Frieza being on Earth and this pain inside of him...there had to be a connection somewhere.

After making sure his sword was still attached to him, Gohan looked over at his grandfather. For the first time, Bardock wasn't wearing his headband. He had taken it off and was breathing hard while observing it in both hands. The young father had nearly forgotten what it represented and frowned deeper.

"Gramps?"

Bardock could hear his grandson, but knew he could only respond in bursts of bloodied headband in his hands felt hot and cold all at the same time. How could he forget what happened to his crew under the order of that bastard? How could he forget his failure to save his planet? To allow his wife to be burned alive? Now...

And now...

She was going to put in the same situation. His grandsons, his daughter-in-law, Videl and Pan.

"KAKAROT! NOW!"

"I'm doing my best!" Goku snapped back. He felt even more pressured now then he was when he had to find a source while Earth exploded due to Kid Buu's power. His thoughts were already clouded enough and now he had his dad and Vegeta yelling at him. His veins on his forehead where his fingers were pressing harshly relaxed when he reopened his eyes. "Gotenks is starting to come through."

"Go now," Whis waved the Saiyans off. "We'll travel my way."

"Hn," Beerus stuck up his nose to the sky that was painted a bright pink. "It looks like we have some unwanted visitors in _my_ universe."

The Saiyans had already started on their instant journey to Earth as Beerus connected his hand to his attendant's shoulder. The white-haired humanoid looked back at him and sighed.

"What do you suppose your brother wants?"

The God of Destruction's nails dug into Whis' shoulder out of habit and clicked his tongue. "He must know of the pizza somehow..."

Whis rolled his eyes eyes while facing forward and tapped his staff on the grass to begin their transportation. Although it was never good when Beerus and Champa had to interact with one another, the humanoid's thoughts were clouded. One of the Earthlings had lost their life during their training, and now the Saiyans would be too rage driven to think clearly.

"It's going to be messy."

With one hand clutching Whis' shoulder, Beerus had rested his chin in the other hand while sitting cross-legged behind his teacher. His yellows eyes hardened when he glared at Whis' back.

"You and I both know Frieza is insignificant. Any of those four morons could destroy him single-handed."

"What did you think about training one of those morons, by the way? I haven't had time to check in with you."

Beerus spit to the side in pretend disgust. Thousands of stars and all colors a rainbow could provide flashed around them as they traveled through their universe. It would give any other passenger epilepsy.

"That young one is a decent fighter," Beerus tapped his fingers against his attendant's shoulder. "What do you know about this blue-haired business?"

"Well personally I don't think it would look good on you, but you'll never have to worry about something like that."

"SHUT UP! That boy's hair turned blue a few times during our fight. Has that happened to the others?"

Whis turned his head slightly so Beerus could see his smirk. "I guess only time will tell you, Lord."

* * *

Hercule Satan had made the ultimate sacrifice.

Usually when a scene like that plays out, time sped up so quickly before he would have time to think anything through. He saw the sniper about to shoot Bee. He watched the evil and dark Buu consume his best friend Buu. His whole fanbase had died before when he could have prevented it.

But this time was different.

The attack that was going to kill his daughter started out fast but took so long to reach her. All sorts of memories played through his mind, like a movie full of highlights that the almighty above showed people before they passed on. He could see his daughter learning how to use her legs for the first time, falling on her butt constantly but continuously trying again and again with a determined look on her small face. He saw that little baby girl change into a woman, a woman that would help save the world from crime and make it a better place while he became rich off of lies and deceit.

He recalled the memory of finding Gohan jogging in the dark morning hours of Satan City. They finally discussed Hercule's shame about what happened during the Cell Games. His son-in-law forgave him. He never held it against him. In fact, Gohan told him that he was the reason for Cell's defeat. Hercule Satan really had done something that day to save the world.

Hercule smiled when he ran towards the deadly light beam. He had never experienced what it was like on the other side, but knew he would die a happy man. Thanks to Dende and the guardian before him, he would have another chance to see everyone again. The same would go for Videl, if he didn't make it time. But he just couldn't allow for that to happen. She would still feel the pain before death, a pain that was meant for him.

Mr. Satan's pupils widened as wide as his mouth as Tagoma's beam pierced through his chest. Piccolo was able to move Videl away, holding her tightly as she fought him and screamed. He could also hear his little Pan crying out in the background, who he thought had been with Miss Eighteen this entire time. One last good deed before Hercule Satan died was letting everyone know she was there. At least now she would be taken somewhere safe and away from harm.

* * *

Trying her hardest to ignore the bloody hole in her father's chest, Videl held him in her arms after Piccolo released her. She didn't even know where that bastard who attacked them had gone.

"You're such an idiot," her quiet whimper turned into a loud sob as she looked down at his smiling face. Whatever he was thinking about in his final moments allowed him to die happily. "How could you do this!? That attack wasn't for you!"

Piccolo knelt down beside her to check a pulse and shook his head. He could hear Frieza cackling high above them, ordering more attacks already. More than a hundred soldiers per Z Fighter.

"We don't have time for this right now. Keep in mind all the options we have. Right now, we need to fight so your father's sacrifice wasn't in vain."

Piccolo grunted while getting to his feet. He yanked Videl up as well, ignoring her pleads and curse words aimed at him. "Get a hold of yourself! Satan has a little bit of life left inside of him! If we get him to Dende in time, he'll make it without the use of Dragon Balls. We'll have Gine take him while you take your daughter somewhere safe."

Videl gasped, almost forgetting her daughter had snuck onto the battlefield. She looked over her shoulder to make sure she was still hiding in Jaco's spaceship, but Gotenks and soldiers were blocking her view. Within seconds after Frieza's next command, Piccolo and herself were surrounded just like the fused child.

"Damn!" Piccolo snarled and forcibly attached Videl to his side with one strong arm. They left Hercule's body on the ground while ascending upward. Although the wife of his former student clung heavily to him, she screamed and kicked her legs to be released.

"WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HIM THERE! WE CAN'T! THAT'S MY FATHER!"

The Namek knew if he let her go, she could fly away on her own. The only problem with that were the million members of the enemy team surrounding every inch of the sky, ground, and water. Piccolo outstretched his palm and blasted a hole through the shoulders of the incoming soldiers as they made their way through the sky.

"Videl, you're going to have to stop screaming! We are near Bulma's little friend's ship, do you see Pan!? VIDEL! OPEN YOUR EYES! DO YOU SEE YOUR DAUGHTER!?"

The aching wife blinked through her damp eyes to scan the area beneath them. The pain in her heart lessened when she could see her young daughter, Bulma and her baby in the protection of the Galactic Patrolman's strongly built spaceship. Her eyes welled up with tears.

"Yes," she whispered as Piccolo continued to fight with the power of one hand and his legs. "She's okay."

Videl could hear the screams of the soldiers that Piccolo mortally wounded and winced. This entire time she thought that everything was going to go so smoothly. That the Saiyans would return to Earth proud of what their humans do to protect this world.

That she would be useful.

Instead, she was curled against Piccolo like a helpless infant that only knew how to cry and scream. Instead, Gine was lifting her dead father off the ground while Tien kept her safe. Instead, the one who killed Hercule Satan was laughing with the tyrant.

Her blue eyes smoldered like the ocean during a storm while looking at the purple-skinned murderer. She had never hated someone so much in her life.

 _You need to get here now, Gohan..._

* * *

Gine stayed close to Tien as he guided her to Hercule's body. The man with the third eye planted two fists into the chest of a blue skinned solider while using his back leg to knockout a purple skinned one. Gine hopped onto his back, ignoring the annoyed expression and all three of his eyes being slanted.

"You really should come around more often," Gine held on tightly to his neck as he sent two elbows to the chest of a soldier who could be mistaken for a human if not for his Saiyan armor. "I'll be sure to let my husband know how much you're helping me! I think he'd love to train with someone like you!"

Tien's face was pink at the compliment but he wouldn't let it distract him from the ongoing fight. The main objective was to get the sweet pest on his back to Hercule. From what he could understand from Piccolo's signal, he was suppose to drop her off and lead his group of enemies away while Gotenks kept a clear path for her to make it to the lookout.

"GOTENKS!" The former student of the Crane Hermit called out for the fused child. His vision was blocked by the soldiers that he had to keep punching and kicking out of his way. "ARE YOU READY!?"

Before Tien's fist could connect with the neck of one of the aliens, its body along with the rest of the soldiers covering Hercule's body was blown away. With his signature cocky expression, the black haired boy with purple streaks placed his hands on his hips and smirked.

"Hell yeah! Don't tell me poor little Tien is having problems already? We don't even have to go Super Saiyan for this!"

Tien snarled at his mocking tone while Gine hopped off his back to gather Mr. Satan's body. "Videl's father was just killed and you're acting like that!? Does nothing ever change!?"

Gotenks rolled his eyes and brushed imaginary dust off his chiseled and exposed chest. With the children being pre-teenagers now, Gotenks had grown taller - along with stronger, faster, and cockier.

"Why is everyone freaking out? You heard Piccolo's plan. If Dende can't heal him, we always have the Dragon Balls."

Tien felt like his head grew twenty times its size as he yelled at Gotenks. "THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD BE FINE AFTER WITNESSING HIM GET MURDERED! You know, it's disturbing how comfortable you guys are with death!"

"Can ya blame me?" Goten's voice could be heard more clearer than Trunks'. "Do you know who my dad is?"

Smiling sadly, Gine lowered her hand. She held Mr. Satan like he was an injured animal. A sweatdrop formed on Tien's forehead right next to his third eye, deciding to dismiss Gotenks' comments.

"Are you sure you can carry him all that way up there?"

"Yes," Gine grinned. The champ wasn't exactly the lightest person in the world, but she use to be Planet Vegeta's butcher for crying out loud! She had to lug around frozen meat ten times his weight. "You just clear a path and make sure nobody follows us."

Determined, Tien nodded and formed his hands into a triangle. A bright light formed in between them before he released his Tri-beam attack, instantly frying and killing a straight line of soldiers in the air. All of his eyes glared at Gotenks when the young punk propped his elbow up on Tien's shoulder.

"Man, you're getting old. Already out of breath?"

"GOTENKS!"

The child immediately flew up to his grandmother, who was getting trapped in a circle of soldiers. Growling, he popped up from underneath to stand beside his grandmother and Hercule.

"Threatening my grandma!?" Both voices of the boys could be heard clearly as he wrapped one arm tightly around the small waist of Gine. He struck his free palm out straight. "You assholes are going to pay for that!"

When she popped him on the head, he bit his tongue. "I know you're growing older, but that doesn't give you an excuse to use that language! We have enough of that with your grandfather around!"

Gotenks shrugged while the soldiers began rolling their eyes at the family intervention happening right in front of their eyes, in the middle of a deadly battle. "Well, somebody's gotta do it while he's gone."

Right before one of the soldiers could use his gun to send a hole through Gine, Gotenks fired multiple ki blasts from his palm like his own personal machine gun while rotating his grandma and Mr. Satan around in a circle with him. They all dropped one by one until none were there, completely clearing the path to the lookout once again.

"WATCH OUT!"

Gine was pointing at an attacker coming to Gotenks from behind, but the pre-teen shrugged and barely looked over his shoulder before a buffed-up old man riding the back of Krillin hit the alien's pressure point on his neck and sent him hurdling towards the ground

"Master Roshi!" He grinned. Gine was shaking her head and leaving the fight behind while the fused child continued to cheer one of his teachers on as he took on another enemy. "Fuck him up!"

"And hurry up," Krillin panted. "In this form you're really killing my back. We're splitting up after this."

Gotenks chuckled and then yawned shortly after. The bored child smacked his lips lazily while looking around at the scene. From the way Piccolo stressed everyone out about this, he was expecting something a lot more. He glared over at the ring leader in his floating space chair thing, the one named Frieza.

He looked pretty bored, too.

Next to him was the soldier that killed Videl's dad.

Gotenks looked around. Everyone else was so occupied with the weak soldiers they were forgetting about the big prizes up in the air. Gritting his teeth together and cracking his knuckles, the fused boy made his decision.

He would help his half sister-in-law get revenge.

* * *

"What the hell is he doing!?"

Videl could see him, too. Gotenks was fighting off soldiers while making his way towards Frieza and the murderer. The dark-haired mother clung to Piccolo tightly, so damaged inside she was forgetting she could fly.

"What are we going to do!? They'll kill him!"

Piccolo was about to compare Gotenks' strength to Hercule's, but decided to bit his tongue instead. It wasn't good to offend a woman that was this much in his personal space. Besides, he still wasn't too sure about how much Frieza trained before arriving here.

"Look... he's not as much as an idiot as he use to be. He knows the plan. Goku and the others will be the one to fight Frieza." The Namek deadpanned as he spoke. The Saiyan hero always had terrible timing.

Videl punched Piccolo's chest as hard as she could. "Hello, this is Gotenks!? He's never growing up! Look! He's going to fight them!"

"Fine! Fine! We'll stop him!" Piccolo snarled, already annoyed by the company he vowed to protect. The soldiers fighting him had gone to protect their leader from the flame-haired kid while the rest of Frieza's army had gone in the direction of Krillin and Roshi. That strange Jaco character was swimming in the ocean to leave Tien by himself.

Piccolo was confident in the fighters, but exhaustion would no doubt be hitting any moment. If the Saiyans were going to make their big entrance, it had to happen soon.

"GOTENKS!" The Namek began to order. "TAKE THOSE GUYS TO THE FOREST NOW AND HELP OUT ROSHI! FRIEZA ISN'T YOUR CONCERN!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Gotenks waved off his mentor while finally transforming into the golden version of himself. The strong aura sent the group of soldiers encircling him away. "And who's going to stop me?"

* * *

At least the kid was attempting to make this fight interesting.

Frieza tapped his fingers against the arm rest of his chair. Each and every single one of his soldiers disgusted him. Even the humans were able to destroy them as if they were nothing but filthy cockroaches.

"You should have killed someone more important," the tyrant yawned. "The death of that weakling failed to rile anyone up."

Tagoma looked at his ruler and smirked. "Sire, if you'd like I could go after that creature that took him away. With that tail she's obviously a Saiyan. She could be related to Son Goku or Vegeta somehow."

"Hard to believe she's a Saiyan. She's as weak as the others on this planet," Frieza spat towards the Earth and shrugged his shoulders. "Why not. One of us has to have some fun today."

The purple skinned creature bowed to his leader, thankful to be able to kill a second time today. "Lord Frieza, I thank-"

"FRIEZA!"

Tagoma and one whose name was screamed looked in the directions of the child who was previously inching closer to them. Now preventing the little vested monkey from attacking, four individuals blocked him from Frieza's site. The tyrant's eyes lit up in delight seeing the very same orange color from his nightmares first. The messy black hair that struck up in all directions were already begging him to begin a grand trial of murders.

"Son Goku! I must be dreaming!" Frieza chuckled but Tagoma could see his fists were curled tightly in his lap. The purple-skinned alien began wondering if he would start bleeding. "Oh! And it looks like you brought some friends!"

Frieza scanned the cavalry. For whatever reason, Prince Vegeta was standing beside Goku. It didn't bother Frieza too much. Those two would never in the living world team up for anything, and the tyrant could still see evil written all over the face of his old 'friend'. The one next to the prince was no doubt the son of Goku grown up. The hair and body were different, but the face had remained the same.

"Why does his son's attire compare to a scarred pumpkin?"

"FRIEZA!"

"Sire... which one's that?" Tagoma pointed at the fourth Saiyan, one that wasn't accounted for. He was shaking like a madman, and the alien wished he would've worn the red headband he clutched in his hand in order to cover the pulsating veins on his forehead. His hair mocked Son Goku's, but his skin tone was darker and scarred up as if he were constantly in bloody battles. The biggest scar was an X across his cheek.

Frieza finally looked away from Tagoma with a cruel smile after making his joke about Gohan's gi but quickly lost it. Son Goku wasn't the one screaming his name. It was that monkey-tailed bastard, the very same one that foolishly tried to stop him from destroying Planet Vegeta all those years ago. He still had that ugly, angry expression.

The shock of seeing a face from the distant past ended as soon as it arrived, and Frieza's lips curled back to their normal state.

"Bardock, Bardock, Bardock. My old friend. How sad it is to have been wished back to life to see it end in the same way again."

When he once again screamed his name and had to be held back by Goku and his offspring, Frieza clapped his hands in delight.

"Oh, it's marvelous! You're just like a rabid dog!"

"I'LL KILL YOU! YOU'LL REGRET NOT KILLING ME!" The Saiyan from the past was so rage filled, he broke free from his family's hold and charged towards the one who murdered his best friends, his home, his wife. Frieza took control of his oldest son's life and made him a despicable type of warrior, making Raditz believe he actually cared for him. Now the bastard had the nerve to come to Earth and threaten his new family and life.

"I didn't kill you? I watched you burn alive, along with those other filthy, disgusting Saiyans. I get all tingly inside remembering the sound of them screaming," Frieza chuckled as Bardock became covered in soldiers, exploding in bursts of energy to knock them off. History was repeating itself all over again. "It's so unfortunate they had to die because _you_ couldn't do anything about it."

The words shot through Bardock's ears like a dagger and tore at him the same way. The soldiers and the Z Fighters had returned to their rightful places; either behind Frieza or on the ground near Jaco's ship. Piccolo, with Videl in his arms, whispered to Gotenks.

"I don't like this feeling in the air. Get out of the way. Right. Now."

Feeling his half-grandfather's pain in his own chest, Gotenks followed Piccolo to the others but not without looking over his shoulder the entire time. The scarred Saiyan's massive shoulders were heaving up and down, having gotten much more bigger than both the boys remembered. The bloodied headband that was once clutched tightly in his hand fell to the grass, landing on a rock.

"Gramps..." Gohan tried reasoning. Although he hadn't seen her yet, he knew Videl was there and their daughter was as well. Previously believing she was dead, all he wanted to do was take them home and keep them safe and locked in their home to wait this war out, but that's not what Saiyans do. "Don't let his words get to you. He's just trying to push your buttons. Remember our strategy."

"We don't really have one," Goku honestly answered his son. His eyes were on the back of his father, watching his shoulder blades move up and down. "Whatever is going to happen, we just have to let it happen."

Gohan looked at his father in disbelief. How could he speak so calmly at a time like this? "What do you mean?"

"Just watch him, son."

Frieza's laughter grew colder and louder as he continued to mock the beaten soul. "Oh, what? Am I upsetting you? The truth hurts. If you were actually strong, you could be living on Planet Vegeta right now. If I recall, you had a mate? How does it feel that you allowed her to burn alive?"

Bardock could feel the walls inside him breaking. The facts that he lived with every day since the incident had made him the angry, guilty man he was now. It was all his fault that he couldn't defeat Frieza the first time they faced each other. It was all his fault the Saiyans were murdered. It was all his fault his crew died.

 _It was all a setup. Frieza wants us dead._

Opening his misted eyes at the remembrance of Tora's final words, Bardock clutched his chest as if he were having a heart attack.

 _But why? After all we've done for him, it doesn't make sense. We took the jobs his elites wouldn't mess with and we still won._

 _It's true... We were going to be the best but Frieza's scared._

 _Scared of what?_

 _Of you... Bardock. Frieza's scared of you!_

Bardock's hands left his chest slowly, falling to his sides like they were weightless feathers. His chest continued to heave up and down, but his breathing was somehow steady. He remembered every single battle he ever fought moment for moment, and was even better with the little moments in between. Words and images haunted him every day he's been alive and his best friend hasn't.

"You know what, Tagoma? I think that monkey-tailed female _is_ his mate," Frieza grinned wickedly when Bardock's eyes finally met his again. There was just something so precious about the pain he could bring someone. "Should we bring her body here to he can clarify?"

The unleashed anger struck him like lightening. The only way Bardock could manage the pain raging inside of him as an image of his lifeless Gine penetrated his mind was to throw his head back and scream. His jet black strands of hair turned gold and bolted upright while an aura of the same color were like unmanageable flames that would set anyone who came near him on fire.

"Dad... Is he..?"

Gohan, Goku, and Vegeta backed away from the skyrocketing energy coming from Bardock. The prince, having witnessed this in a match against an android before, took a moment to glare through his peripherals at a strange ki he'd never sensed before. His woman, who had finally emerged from the ship in anger when he finally arrived, was holding a female infant in her arms.

The prince felt uneasy suddenly.

"Kakarot, you need to take the children to your woman or something. This is no place for them."

Goku nodded, but held up a finger. He had been waiting for this moment from his father for years and was finally witnessing it. "Son, do you remember that feeling you got when you ascended during your fight with Cell?"

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah... although I wish I didn't. It felt like my insides were burning into nothing. Gramps looks like he's going to die."

"I know," Goku gave a small smile. "It looks like Frieza is stunned into silence."

"But not too stunned," Vegeta warned. "He's gotten stronger since last time, don't be fooled Kakarot."

A little more serious, Goku nodded and looked at his father. His screams had finally ended and there were remnants of pained, angry tears on his face. Like bolts of electricity, his golden energy danced around his body and dared someone to approach him. His icy green eyes looking more colder than before contrasted against the heat from everywhere else on him.

A finger lifted up slowly and pointed at Frieza's face that couldn't construe what had just happened. Bardock mouthed the word, "You".

"Wait a minute!" Goku called. "We didn't rock, paper, scissor on who gets to go first!"

"Oh, shut up!" Vegeta punched his shoulder. "He's going to lose anyway and then it's my turn. What you need to focus on now is getting rid of the children or so help me!"

Goku muttered under his breath but agreed with the prince. Knowing Bardock's hate for Frieza, it could get ugly. Besides, he wouldn't miss much of the fight. He could get the kids to Chi-Chi and back in seconds. "Come on, Gohan. I know you've been wanting to say hi to that wife of yours since you got here."

Gohan sighed in relief as they left Vegeta and Bardock in the sky against Frieza and his soldiers. Goku had already taken baby Bra by force from Bulma and held Pan in his other arm. Piccolo finally released Videl and she immediately ran to her husband. He held out his arms expecting a sweet embrace, but got a slap to the face instead.

"What the heck was that for!?"

Gohan held his hand on the newly red flesh of his cheek but removed it slowly when he noticed his wife fell to her knees. She began sobbing uncontrollably, something she hardly ever did unless she was in serious pain. He began remembering the sickening feeling he felt at Beerus' temple.

"..Videl? What happened?"

"Why...weren't...you...here?" She sniffed between every word, trying to control her tears but was finding it difficult. "You were too...late! Why?"

Gohan knelt down so he could put his hands on his wife's shoulders. The sword made by the God of Destruction attached to his back proudly shined against the sun that was still out. He looked over her head, trying to make sense of what had happened. Nobody would look him in the eye, except Piccolo.

"Satan lost his life protecting Videl from a surprise attack."

The young husband and father shook his head while standing. "There's no way. Why would he even be here? You're lying, Piccolo."

The Namek continued to give his former student a hard stare.

"Tell me you're lying."

"I wish I were."

Gotenks poked Gohan's bicep until he finally looked at him instead of Piccolo. He pointed at the sky and spoke meekly, something that wasn't like the Gotenks he knew at all. "It was him."

Gohan slowly followed Gotenks fingers until his eyes met with the purple-skinned alien that stood so proudly next to Frieza. The tyrant himself was in the process of mass murdering his army with a single finger, done with the games at last and making room for his battle with Bardock. Tagoma realized the son of Goku was looking at him and smirked in return.

The one who trained with Lord Beerus didn't even think about what he was doing. He unleashed the sword from his back and flew towards the murderer. The only sound he could hear and one that would linger with him for years was Videl's mournful wailing.

* * *

Pan had lowered her head like some pooch that just got scolded for digging in the trash. She trudged past her grandma and into her Uncle Goten's room to give the grown ups some privacy.

The poor girl didn't even try to spy on them. She was so heartbroken from seeing that light go through her grandpa.

Once Chi-Chi was sure Pan was in the room, she turned around to give her husband a slap but shrieked when she saw two fingers placed on his forehead.

"And just where do you think you're going!? After all this time apart and not even one word before you go back to fighting!?"

Ignoring the sweatdrop on his forehead, Goku kept a straight face and his fingers in their place. "Well...Yeah, Cheech." His voice turned dark, cool - a rare tone that Chi-Chi hardly ever heard. "I think we lost somebody while I was gone. I can't let it happen again."

The housewife covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head. Her dark eyes were watering while she scanned her husband's face. She would know if it were her sons. "...Who was it?"

"I have to go, Chi-Chi."

Goku flinched when she wrapped her small fingers around the wrist near his forehead. Through her touch, he could feel the pain that she'd been hiding for a long time now. Knowing it was wrong of him to waste time but remembering his father's words, the hero lowered his hand and her wrist. With his free hand, he had copied a motion he witnessed a man do to a woman in that one movie she liked so much.

The feeling of her husband wiping away her tears with his thumb only made more form. Her shoulders shook madly as she gave in, snuggled closely to his chest while he held for the first time in months.

"Goku," She sniffed loudly. "Who did we lose? Please... tell me..."

"I don't even know. I just have a strange feeling. Just don't worry, okay? We still have Dende and if it's too late there's always the Dragon B-"

The husband felt all of his wife's anger as her palm connected with his cheek. His head didn't budge an inch, still able to look at her hurt expression.

"How could you feel that way? After how much we have prepared while you were gone combined with all of the training you've done, someone _still_ died!" Her thin eyebrows were scrunched up into frustration as she grabbed the upper portion of her husband's gi. "If Frieza destroys us, he can destroy anyone! He can take over everything and anything he wants and there will be no chance of _anyone_ coming back!"

Her fool's shoulders were the ones shaking this time, but due to his laughter. Chi-Chi looked away from his pectorals to glare up at him.

"And now you're _laughing_!?"

"Aw Cheech, you're incredible!" Goku was still beaming ear to ear as he calmed down. His wife, on the other hand, looked completely lost. He patted the neat bun on top of her head gently. "You really should give us more credit than that. We've got the God of Destruction on our side! Nothing's gonna happen!"

She sweatdropped. "Now I'm even more worried..."

He waved her off and gave her a quick squeeze. "I've missed you. I gotta go now."

"Wait!" Chi-Chi grabbed both of his hands before he could try to do the Instant Transmission again. Her pout curled into a smile suddenly despite the fear she was feeling. "What do you want for dinner tonight?"

* * *

 **A/N** : So this chapter was posted before but I changed it a lot. I hope you it was better, somehow. I know it took awhile but I appreciate and love you guys so much for always supporting me despite my mistakes.

Next chapter will be up sooner than before, and that's a promise :-)


	23. The Rage of a Million Saiyan Spirits

**A/N** : I want to start off by saying that it has been such a long time, not only because of school and work and personal life, but because I got over my fear and read the reviews I have been receiving and felt so low, man. I looked back and read this story and knew that so much could have been done to make it better and I should have been more informed about Dragon Ball Super. I feel like NONE of us truly know what is going on and much of it is theories. I hear one thing but then Toriyama makes it another and the anime makes it something completely different! It drives me crazy because even though it doesn't seem like it, I always try to do my best to give you canon material while trying to add my own twists but my twists just seem... trashy. I don't really know any other way to put it.

Anyway, like I was saying, I have read the reviews and none of you guys have been telling me anything negative at all. It's constructive criticism and I take it with pride because it shows that you actually gave my story a chance and still believe that I can make it better. The thing is... a lot of my readers probably believe that this is going to be a kick ass, action filled, "fighty", well written fic when in reality I'm in love with FAMILY. I LOVE the characters. In fact, I love them so much I focus on relationships between them rather than the plots of the story which is probably what ticks people off.

Remember Walking Towards the Sunset? It was a story completely centered around Bardock, a character who we hardly know and ever see, and him change through his family. Is he out of character, the way I make him? Most definitely. Does he have his Saiyan pride still? Absolutely. Is he soft? Hell no. Am I going to nerf him? No way in hell. Is he going to be a badass despite being a gym teacher? Yup.

Yeah, sure. Maybe him telling Goku to stay with family instead of training so much and whatever I had him say waaaay back in the start of this story is not really "Bardock". It's not the canon Bardock. It's Taylor's Bardock... It's a Bardock I believe would exist if he spent this much time with his family. After all, Vegeta did not do a damn thing while Bulma was pregnant/had Bulla and that guy is addicted to training. Yet, he loves Bulma more. Goku in canon sucks at that and I just want to tweak it. I absolutely hate how stupid they've made him in the new series and just want to give him justice, especially with Chi-Chi because dammit you entered an author's realm who is obsessed with GoChi.

Well... if you made it through my ramblings to this point I just wanted to let you guys know that this chapter is going to be **weak as hell**. I can't stand the Resurrection F arc, and it's been so long I just want to get it out of the way and give you fresh, new material and get to the Universe 6 vs 7 tournament. I'm sorry you've waited so long for this POS but I promise you better things are going to come. Way, way better. And of course my lovely slice of life/"filler" moments which is where I truly shine.

 **BY THE WAY. The Frieza/Tagoma training thing was so pointless because I have no idea how I could pull it off. I'm just not that creative enough and I think it's because I hate this arc. I'm sorry this is going to be unsatisfying but please be sure that the tournament arc WILL be worth it.**

This crap you're about to read? Not so much.

* * *

Enjoy!

"WHIS!"

Beerus let out a wince when his sharp teeth took a bite of his tongue. He waved an angry fist at the back of his attendant, still floating cross-legged in the middle of a dark space. His attendant had stopped their journey to the potentially doomed Earth abruptly.

"Sorry, my lord. It appears I found our intruders."

The purple diety released a grumble from his throat before straightening up to join Whis' side. A brief cosmic light was seen in the distance before woman who looked practically identical to the teacher of Beerus was smiling before them. Her white high ponytail was as long as her staff, and her thin black eyebrows were arched in the same direction as her brother's.

Before Whis could greet her, another brother moved from out behind her and blocked her. Beerus' grumble grew louder, now coming out of an open mouth and turning into a growl as he looked at his chubby twin.

"What the hell are you doing here, Champa!? Ate all the food in your universe and decided to steal some from mine!?"

The one being accused of something he most likely did but didn't snickered at his much thinner brother. He patted his belly and revealed a set of white fangs. "I wouldn't want any of your universe's trash food. I've been on a diet for quite some time, Vados can vouch for me!"

"Eating nine pork chops instead of ten isn't considered dieting, Champa."

"VADOS!" Champa nearly screamed, looking at his attendant as if she were betraying him. "AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH!"

Beerus placed his hands on his thin hips and narrowed his yellow eyes. It wasn't very often another universe's God of Destruction entered that of another's, and when it did happen, things got ugly. "Just tell me what the hell you're doing here, Marshmallow. You're starting to annoy me!"

Champa mimicked his brother's stance, his smirk returning. Like there's any way he'd reveal his secret mission to anyone but Vados, even though she insulted him previously. "Just passing by, Skeletor. You got a problem with that?"

The thinner twin grinded his teeth together and brought his palm forward, the same hand he always used to destroy a planet or an insubordinate. His voice lowered, growing tired of his brother's antics. "Matter of fact, I do."

Before Champa got return a threat of his own, Whis tapped his staff in the air. "Would it be possible to save this fight for another day? We are in quite a hurry."

"Yes," Vados also tapped her staff, looking even more like her brother than ever. "We are also in a hurry. Say your goodbyes, Champa."

Champa shrugged his broad shoulders. He was too lazy to fight right now, anyway. He leaned in close to Beerus, their noses almost touching. "Until next time, Grim Reaper."

Beerus was unscathed. "Whatever you say, Baby Elephant."

"TWIG BOY!"

"DUMPLING!"

At this point, the foreheads of the twin brothers were touching and their growls could be heard on nearby planets. They broke off grudgingly at the same time, knowing that where they were headed was much more important than this squabble. At least for now.

Beerus watched suspiciously as Vados and Champa disappeared in a ray of light. "Whis," he spoke has he placed his hand on his attendant's shoulder. "Remind me about this moment later, will you?"

"Of course, my lord. However..."

"Hn?" Beerus clutched his nails into Whis' shoulders, suspicious and curious all in one about what he was going to follow that up with. He tried to scan the angel's face for that sassy smirk he always gave before saying something just to piss him off. A sweatdrop formed on his purple skin when he couldn't find it. "What do you mean, 'however'!?"

Whis was stoned face when he restarted their journey through the cosmos. He could feel his student's claws digging into him out of tension, but it didn't change his stoic expression. "However, our highest concern right now is getting to Earth. I'm not all too sure you were right about Frieza not being a threat to any of the Saiyans."

Beerus released a strange sound from his throat that went from low to high within one second. Spittle escaped from his mouth like dramatic raindrops as he glared at the red material that covered Whis' blue neck. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

"Certainly not. I've just had my suspicions for awhile about strange activity happening in our universe. Perhaps it was Frieza's doing."

"...And you didn't think this was something you should've told me or the idiots earlier?"

The diety's hand moved upwards when Whis shrugged his shoulders. "I was occupied giving three of our four guests the training they wouldn't stop hounding me for in exchange for those Earthly goods. Can you honestly blame me for not being concerned about anything else?"

Beerus grunted, his own way of expressing agreement. He stuck up his nose and grinned widely, proudly. "Well, no matter. I know my trainee can hold his own."

Whis' smirk finally returned after a serious discussion. "You sound so sure of yourself."

"Of course I am, Whis! It's all in the hair! That blue hair I saw is the key to victory!"

"And what if I were to tell you that my trainees also had some form of blue hair?"

"YOU'RE LYING!"

"Nope."

Beerus snarled when Whis let out a chuckle. He wasn't sure if the waste of space monkey or the prince were enough to give his teacher credit, but Goku certainly was. Still, after the last three months of training the hybrid, Beerus was able to be confident with his next words. "How about a little wager? Your three against Gohan. If Gohan does more damage than your three combined, the rest of the pizza is mine."

Whis' eyes widened in surprise, so much so that he needed to look over his shoulder at his student. "The combined strength of Bardock, Goku, and Vegeta compared to that of Gohan's? Are you truly that confident?"

Beerus was sweating again. He hadn't realize the war he just declared, but the God of Destruction absolutely loathed to admit he was wrong. "I didn't say strength, I said damage. Two completely different things."

"Hm," Whis turned his attention back to the front. "You still do realize that the damage of three extremely strong beings compared to the strength of one individual is... apples to washing machines, right?"

"YES I KNOW THAT! AND I'M NOT BACKING DOWN!"

"Alright, it's deal." Whis shook his head with a small smile when Beerus let out a 'hmph!'. There had to be something about Gohan that Beerus was keeping to himself, but at this point it didn't matter. As long as Gohan was fighting for the planet that provided all those delicious treats, his lord's foolish wager didn't bother him. "Still... apples to washing machines."

"STOP TALKING!"

* * *

The smirking Tagoma held out a hand towards the incoming Gohan, daring him to come closer. As much as the purple skinned alien wanted to look in the direction of his lord and the power that his scarred enemy was emitting, he found it much more entertaining to fight the hybrid freak. Frieza was right about these awful monkeys. There was nothing to fear.

Even if that power coming from the one named Bardock was emmense for a standard Saiyan, he was still nothing for the almighty Lord Frieza.

The alien's smirk grew wider, almost to the point of being a sinister grin. Gohan's perfectly chiseled muscles on his arms were noticeable now, and his one stubborn bang wasn't allowing him to be blinded to his objective.

"Get ready to die just like that hideous human!"

Tagoma's revealed a charging yellow orb that he was hiding behind his back and threw it at the Saiyan's face. The brightness of the contact was blinding to the audience watching in horror down below. Tagoma chuckled in delight at the sword wielding hybrid had disappeared in the attack.

"If you're that angry about what I did to him, you should know that I was aiming at the child. He messed everything up."

Tagoma opened his mouth to laugh again, but choked when a sharp blade impaled his back and struck out through his chest. In horror, the alien held onto the blade with shaking arms and looked over his shoulder. He was staring into a dark obsidian gaze.

"I was going to give you a fighting chance because my wife doesn't like murder," Gohan twisted the sword of a God to hear Tagoma's blood curdling scream. "But once you brought our daughter into this, the rules don't apply anymore."

Blood began to trickle down Tagoma's chin, and even more escaped his lips when he managed to speak one word. "...Monster.."

Gohan removed his sword abruptly, causing Tagoma to scream again. He caught the weak body before it could fall to the ground. "Now you know how all those people you and your leader has killed felt. But there's a major difference between you and me."

Tagoma glared at him through blurring vision, awaiting the response. It was unbelievable that after all this time, after all those planets, it had come to an ending for him so fast. The hybrid moved faster than a speeding bullet and had the strength of the entire army combined. It just didn't seem real.

"You never stood a chance."

The soldier was released from Gohan's tight grip and was sent flying down to the ground. His threw his head back to get a look at his ruler, seeing him begin the battle with the monkey-tailed Saiyan. He smiled while falling, knowing that even though he failed, Frieza wouldn't. He was just way too powerful and wasn't even in his newest form.

When Tagoma's eyes locked with Frieza's from the distance, the purple alien's weak smile grew wider. He was letting his leader know that it was going to be okay. That he had lost the battle, but Lord Frieza will win the war. It was all going to be alright.

But then, something strange happened.

Frieza raised his hand in the air to form a red Destruction Disc, and instead of sending it towards the enemy, he sent it right at Tagoma's throat.

Tagoma's head rolled to Gohan's black boots which barred Whis' insignia. The young father swallowed the vomit that was trying to escape his lips due to the disturbing image. Since he was a young boy with a bowl cut, Gohan knew Frieza was a heartless creature. He and his men committed genocide on Old Namek, an event where Gohan remembered burying the bloodied bodies of innocent Nameks.

Even with that prior knowledge, Goku's oldest son had not expected Tagoma to die like this. At least with the wound he caused, his body would have still been attached. The hybrid's lips twisted up in disgust as the blood from the alien's detached neck into the white wild flowers, turning them a dark crimson. Gohan only prayed that his wife had seen the decapitation was not done by him.

"Well would you like at that, Whis!" Beerus' sudden voice caused all those in front of him, who were previously distracted by the two different fights going on, to shriek. "Mine already has a body count!"

* * *

Now that Tagoma had proven himself to be yet another failure, Frieza needed to release his new power on someone new. Lucky for him, that unfortunate moron arrived.

Frieza felt a giddiness he hadn't felt since blowing up Planet Yardrat while he looked at the bruiting monkey just a mere mile away from him in the sky. His golden hair was dancing with the electricity that traced his body, and the way his chest heaved Frieza could tell Bardock was willing to die again.

What poetic justice! The lone Saiyan who fought for the survival of his old planet now faces the almighty emperor for the same occurrence. Cruelly, Frieza's lips curled as he stood up on his floating throne. Although his legs were the size of a full grown kindergartner's, they possessed more strength than his fists that killed King Vegeta in one blow.

"Well seeing how you're already there, let's just go right to full power shall we?"

Bardock kept his eyes narrowed and lips drawn. The veins on his bulky neck were throbbing while his eyes were bloodshot. His icy green orbs took in the sight of Frieza's final form of white and purple, one that he personally never got to see except for in his vision of Kakarot defeating the bastard on the green planet. At least knowing the tyrant felt the need to transform for this fight was flattering enough.

"You just keep getting uglier and uglier," Bardock retied his bloodied headband to his forehead, channeling the murderous and ruthless warrior he used to be. No matter how good his family and student athletes and clueless principals thought he was, he would kill in a heartbeat if it meant defending those who changed him. "They always said you were afraid of me, Frieza! Now allow me to bring your nightmares to fruition."

Frieza blinked for minute and then chuckled. "That wasn't exactly the corniest thing I've heard, but you Saiyans have a knack of being tacky." As his last word was spoken, the tyrant charged at Bardock head first and caused their foreheads to collide.

"SERIOUSLY!?" Bardock spit in his face as Frieza grabbed onto the back of his head to make the head bashing more powerful. The Saiyan mimicked him and soon the two powerful fighters were in the darkened sky banging heads together.

"I forgot you chimpanzees have such a thick skull to protect your miniscule brains!"

Bardock grunted before shoving Frieza away. His hands began to glow with a blue aura and soon Frieza was attacked by a series of ki powered punches. Ten went right for the tyrant's chest before a single uppercut caused the opponent to move further away.

Frieza bent his neck back into shape while cracking it twice. It was a bit embarrassing the Saiyan who was killed so easily last time was able to keep up with him, but soon he'd put that filthy creature in his rightful place.

"Six feet underground…"

"What the hell are you going on about now!?"

Frieza placed a hand over his mouth and spoke sarcastically. "Whoopsies did I say that out loud…"

Bardock growled under his breath and charged towards the one who ruined his life and threw a whitish-blue sphere of his strong ki. Frieza shoved it aside with one hand like it was nothing and then came down on the Saiyan hard with clenched fists in an axe-handle. The two went plummeting to the ground, unaware that they had so many eyes on them.

* * *

"Knock the bullshit," Bardock wiped some remnants of blood from his chin and smirked. It was going to be a battle to the death and he was excited. It's been a hell of a long time. "Show me your full power and I'll show you mine."

The clouds above had grown dark. Anybody would have blamed the thunder gods for the activity in the sky, but those on the battle ground knew better. There had to be twenty pairs of eyes waiting for the next explosion of raw energy from within wthe fighters to occur. Bardock's smirk dropped into a pained expression as Frieza crossed his arms over his chest to chuckle like the day he destroyed Planet Vegeta.

The warrior wasn't fighting just some random enemy. He was able to match the moves and strike back harder than the tyrant who killed him before he could get close. Should have killed him. Somebody up there didn't want him to die yet.

Or somebody down there.

Most likely down there.

Frieza's shoulders shook. He had almost forgotten how amusing the monkeys were when they thought they had a chance. "You know what my second most favorite day was? I'm sure you're aware of the first. It involved a spectacular light show followed by the screams of disobedient, worthless cretins."

"Was it the day my son kicked your split ass?"

Frieza's chuckle ceased, and he suddenly had the appearance of an angry toddler who had been refused a fifth treat. "I dethroned your king with a single punch to the face. Wouldn't you assume that you filthy apes could have done the same to me if you didn't have such a weak, pathetic ruler?"

"He's got a point there."

The short frost demon jumped to the side to see behind the much taller Bardock when he heard that distinct voice. He was much too into the battle with the chimp to notice the purple skinned deity glaring at him with those damn yellow eyes. Anybody who'd met the God of Destruction could never forget those crazy eyes.

"B-Beerus!? What are you doing here?!"

Beerus dug a strawberry leaf from out of his teeth and flicked it at Bulma's head. She was crouching obnoxiously close to him. "Is that power you're hiding from the idiot too strong that you think you can speak to me so disrespectfully?"

Frieza gulped. Bardock shook his head at the sweat forming on his forehead. "Lord Beerus, what brings you here?"

"What does it look like?" Beerus spoke with his mouth full. "You rudely interrupted something I was working on but luckily I won't have to kill you since this reward was waiting for me."

Confused but not really wanting to ask questions, Frieza nodded like he understood completely. "So... you won't be interfering in my battle?"

"Nope. I despise you both the same. It would actually be better if you killed him so I win. Just go do your power ups farther away. You got dust on the bowl."

Whis inspected the mentioned particles with his fore finger and nodded. "Any further and it would have gotten on the ice cream."

As embarrassing as it was, Frieza wasn't idiotic enough to argue with anything the God of Destruction said. The tyrant bowed slightly before taking flight, knowing that the golden monkey would follow.

Bardock looked up at Vegeta, whose gloved fists were shaking. The prince, Goku, and Gohan entered the crater the fighters created and stopped a couple feet away from the ascended Super Saiyan.

"Hey, flamehead. I won't forget what he said about King Vegeta."

Flamehead was looking at a cliff that was being pounded by the waves of the water that surrounded them. "I would've killed him on the spot but I'm a firm believer in finishing what you started. Just know that when you die and I have to take over you'll never have my respect again."

"Didn't know I had it in the first place."

"Hn."

Goku placed a strong hand on his father's shoulder, although the father thought it should be the other way around. "You already know I'm proud of you, Dad. It kinda bums me out that it's your fight instead of mine, but I think it's your destiny and you shouldn't mess with that. It's bad luck."

Bardock removed his son's hand gently. Kakarot already had his chance and succeeded. The father's chance meant more than anything. He'd be the sole hero of Earth for the day. He'd avenge what happened to Hercule, Tora, Fasha, Borgos, Shugesh, every single Saiyan, every single being whose life had been ruined or taken away by Frieza. Frieza threatened his Gine. He had the nerve to come to Bardock's new home while he was away and take away what was rightfully, forcibly, and annoyingly his.

The golden, formally fallen hero tightened the bloodied headband around his forehead. He wasn't going to fight alone. Tora would be right there with him.

"Good luck, Gramps! We'll be watching!" Gohan called and watched with satisfaction as his grandfather disappeared from sight. Despite the pleas from the ones on the outside of the crater, the Saiyan fighters followed suit to get a better glimpse of the battle. Bulma pounded his fist into the boulder she was hiding behind and shook it when she realized it hurt.

"Ow, ow, ow... Damn it, Vegeta! How are we going to be safe without you here!?"

"Don't worry about it," Beerus glared at her from the corner of his eyes as he took the spoon from out his mouth. "As long as you're standing close to the ice cream nothing bad will happen to you."

"Lord Beerus, did you eat my strawberry?"

"They're not _your_ strawberries, _Whis_!"

"I believe mine were on the left and yours were on the right. You committed burglary while I was rubbing my temples from the brain freeze."

"I did no such thing. It was the woman. Look at her hair. She's got the leaves all over it."

* * *

Vegeta slapped Gohan's hand off him, not wanting to answer his pathetic question about whether he was okay or not. "Your whole family is entirely too soft and I swear if you touch my shoulder again you won't have a hand to do it with."

"I already can't feel it," Gohan chuckled but stopped when he realized Vegeta was being serious. "Geez, sor-ry. I'm just trying to get my mind off the fact that Gramps is the one fighting Frieza right now."

"Ah, don't worry about it, son You haven't even seen what Bardock is made of! He's got this!"

Ignoring the rambling buffoons, Vegeta scanned the area beneath them as they followed Bardock and Frieza. There was something red cowarding behind a rock in the same vicinity that made the prince suspicious.

"You guys go ahead. I need to check something out."

Vegeta looked up and narrowed his eyes when he realized the idiots had already left him behind. The prince knew that whoever Frieza had hiding there was part of his dirty tricks.

Sorbet scratched his head, looking up at the sky. Frieza told him not to move from this spot yet him and the chimp had disappeared. He fiddled with the laser ring on his finger and tapped his foot impatiently. He just wanted to kill the father of Goku already.

"I bet you're regretting working for a boss so predictable."

Before Sorbet could turn around and scream, Vegeta had blasted the red comrade into nothing. As pissed as the prince was that Bardock was stealing his moment, he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of killing Frieza.

"Now you can't ever say I never did anything for you," Vegeta shook his head at the laser ring Sorbet wore laying isolated on the ground. He crushed it with his foot. "Legendary Super Saiyan, my ass."

* * *

"You first."

Bardock raised a golden brow. He knew that Frieza didn't believe him. The two were standing in front of each other on land that was close to crumbling. The Earth people were out of sight except for the Saiyans who were floating close by.

"I thought it would be more dramatic if I did it last. That's what everyone's been waiting for."

"Psh, nobody can do dramatic like me. Just do your little color change already and let the show begin."

Bardock began his ascension towards the dark clouds, the blackness of them reminding him of the harsh training nights with Whis. The words from the martial artist himself were the only things he would hear as he blocked out all the sound of the ocean water crashing against the rocks and the thunder starting to roll in.

 _"You have the rage of a million Saiyan spirits coursing through your veins. I believe that is the reason why you survived what should have annihilated you."_

 _"You don't really believe that shit, do you?"_

 _"I'm not the one that has to. Even if I'm wrong, which never happens, there is a spirit who has been with you since the beginning of your Earthly journey. You wear him every day."_

"THIS IS FOR TORA, AND THE SPIRIT OF A MILLION SAIYANS WHO WILL GET THEIR REVENGE!"

"Yaaaawn. At least the acting is dramati-"

Frieza stopped mid-sentence and had to take a step back as the crumbled land he was standing on began to shake. A bright golden orb had trapped Bardock inside of it, revealing a black silhouette with a long monkey-tail. The land broke apart, separating Frieza from the Earthlings and Beerus on the other side even further. The storm clouds began trembling with thunder and bolts of lightening until it dropped rain unto the battlefield. A drenched Frieza glared up at the geometric shape in the sky when the man-like black figure turned into the head of a great ape.

Frieza's eye twitched, remembering that site. He couldn't stand it. The beast opened its mouth and let out a loud growl, the very sound of it creating harsh winds that knocked the humans on the other side to their feet. Its eyes were blood red, the red that reminded the tyrant of countless genocides. They were looking right at him. He began to wonder if the fight was going to end with a dead gorilla, feeling pity for that person that would need to clean that giant mess up.

But as soon as the Great Ape appeared, it returned to the shape of a man again. One with longer, spikier hair who was doubled over like he was in pain. One of the glowing red eyes turned icy blue. Once the screaming was over, the silhouette stood up and began its descent to the ground. The golden orb which encompassed it faded away.

Once the black boots touched the ground, Frieza followed the tips of them to take in the sight of his new opponent. Bardock had the appearance of a Saiyan, stunk like one too, but was something completely different at the same time. He had one blue eye, one red eye, and bloodied hair that was contrasted against icy-blue streaks. His red tail, which was the same red as the fur on his arms, wrapped around his torso.

"Oh, lovely. Your new transformation came with its own pair of pants."

"Show me yours."

The deeper than usual voice caused Frieza to pause for a moment before shaking his head. "They get cockier the uglier they get. Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Bardock was stoned face. Frieza squatted slightly and began to shout. It wasn't as loud or as intimidating as the Great Ape's, but it meant something deadly was going to happen. It always did. A flame like aura surrounded his small but mighty body while he made the land rise up in rock-like pieces. The rain became a downpour when the energy rising from his body created blacker, lightening covered skies.

The red-furred Saiyan stood firmly and tall, watching as the land in front of him completely disappeared into the ocean waters below until Frieza was across from him on his own floating rock. There was a scintillating light that was so extreme Bardock had to protect his eyes with his forearms. The entire area was consumed by Frieza's light until anyone within a 100 miles radius were blinded.

When he felt the burning sensation disappear from his arms, Bardock looked at where the floating rock use to be. In its place was a hovering Frieza, only now he was a metallic gold.

And his power was unbelievable.

Bardock felt his headband absorb the sweat on his forehead.

 _The spirit of a million Saiyans._

The Super Saiyan 4 hybrid nodded, no longer feeling doubtful. He had the spirit of a million Saiyans who was going to save a home of 7.3 billion humans.

Without a word, the two met in the sky to finish the long awaited battle. Bardock's air left his body when Frieza kicked his throat, sending him towards a cliff. Frieza's smirk went downward when the mutt-like creature bounced back quicker than he expected him to. Frieza's next super powered fist was blocked by the hand of Bardock, but Frieza swung his other arm back and hit the transformed Saiyan hard in the gut.

Bardock spit up blood at the strength of the attack, and kicked himself off the large boulder he was about to crash into. The extended leg was aiming right for Frieza on his return. Distracted the potential kick, Frieza jumped but was greeted immediately by the other leg as Bardock pivoted mid air and sent the frost demon towards the water.

Realizing that he hadn't fallen in, Frieza looked over his shoulder. Glaring down at him and gripping him tightly by the ankle was his red and blue haired enemy. His one red eye resembled the blood that was soaked into his headband. For a split second, Frieza swore he saw Goku and the exploding Planet Namek.

"No type of training could compare to the amount of people who have been waiting for me to kill you."

Bardock lifted the short epitome of evil up until their faces were even. The Saiyan placed the front of his palm on Frieza's face and shouted the words the tyrant absolutely loathed.

"Kamehameha!"

The power of the transformed hybrid's one handed Kamehameha blew Frieza towards a crater previously created on the side opposite from the Earthlings. Frieza's golden, bloodied body flipped and tumbled until it stopped by the rocks where his minion should have been hiding.

He was shaking and struggling to get up, but lifted his head to scream. "WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN!? WHY CAN'T I ESCAPE THESE DAMNED SAIYANS! IT'S A CURSE!"

Frieza pounded his fists into the ground, once more having a fit. What was the point of the training with that worthless Tagoma just to end up at the feet of the weakling who he blew into smithereens decades ago? The black boots attached to the green pants appeared closer and closer. Frieza looked towards the rock where Sorbet was hiding to give him the signal.

But nothing happened.

Nobody was there.

Before Frieza could go through with his second escape plan, a whitish blue sphere of a hybrid's ki, the one Bardock was going to use to assassinate Frieza all those years ago, formed in his hand. All the way on the other side of the broken, wet arena was Whis giving the sky an 'I told you so' grin. Using all the strength only Bardock could manage in arm, Bardock threw it directly at the fact of the monster.

Frieza tried fighting it off, but his knees were giving out on him. As it absorbed him, his scream was blocked out by those on Planet Vegeta that fateful day. When the light along with Frieza had vanished, Bardock collapsed onto the ground. Tears escaped the corners of his eyes as he laid on his back. He removed the headband and held it against his chest, returning to his base form.

"Thanks, Tora."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I will never leave long author notes like this again I have just been gone for so long I have a lot to say.**

 **I know this was crud but I did not forget about Frieza knowing Instant Transmission. I'm going back and editing that part out or into something different because honestly ? I never had an idea why he did. Or Tagoma or any of those guys. That was a bad mistake on my part. I know a better author could have handled it but I had no clue what I would do with it or what difference it could make since I just wanted this arc to end.**

 **I will most likely come back and edit this chapter. I just really wanted you guys to know I'm alive and I'm still here.**

Please please please read the top. I really hope you guys did read the top before I get hate mail for being a piece of garbage and posting trash BUUUUUUUT I am ready to move on from this arc. I NEED SOMETHING FRESH! It's been so long so please remember;

PAN is 5 years old, not a baby like in Super. I wanted to change things up before Super came up and I only saw BoG and thought hell yea let's have her be a little older and let stupid stuff happen for reasons.

My version of Bardock... won't repeat myself it's all on the top but like I said OOC yea nerfed naw

FUTURE TRUNKS... you guys can harass me when you see him mentioned anywhere before I start the Goku Black (AHHHH!) arc. He was removed, although I may have forgotten to edit him out here and there. I had written him in before I even knew Trunks was going to be in the series. I had him show up randomly and it was so much fun to write and do shit with him with Goten and Kid Trunks but then I made him useless and he's def not useless in Super.

I think that's it? I heard what you guys said about SSB and how Gohan shouldn't be that at least not the way I had him but you know what you guys already know I suck at transformations but I'll fix it up... I'm not trying to please Gohan fanboys or make him the world's strongest or any other of those things just wanted him to be kickass again BEFORE SUPER EVEN DID ALL THIS STUFF AND MADE HIM COOL AGAIN

But that's what I get for trying to follow a series that isn't even complete yet...

Ugh. My bad guys. I'm not telling you anything about when I'll post next just know I'm very excited and it's going to involve Bardock being a dick at the high school filler and then Champa's true motives and hopefully I'll be able to lead us into THE TOURNAMENT ARC! My faaaav.

Thank you my favorite people in the entire world. Sorry for being so awful. Sorry for this chapter. Sorry for everything. I love you guys for sticking with me over the years and allowing me to grow.


	24. Food Fight Club

"Dad?"

Hercule slowly opened his eyes to reveal a blurry black-haired, pumpkin dressed man standing over him. The afro-haired martial artist smiled warmly, realizing that his son-in-law had finally returned from the temple floating in the middle of the universe.

"Hey buddy... Glad to see you here on the other side. How'd you die?"

"Uhm..." Gohan chuckled and knelt down so he was closer to his father-in-law. Mr. Satan's back was on the bed that Mr. PoPo kept extra clean and extra comfortable. "What exactly is the last thing you remember?"

Hercule blinked. Whatever angel tucked him into this bed did a crazy good job. He couldn't take a hand out to scratch his chin or even move for that matter. His bushy brows furrowed when memory came back. "That alien bastard who went after Videl killed me instead! Don't tell me he got you too!?"

"C'mon Satan. You have to give the kid more credit than that."

Hercule's strained his neck to see above his big bare feet. Leaning against the wall looking like an 80's movie high school bully was a war-torn Bardock. His armor was slashed diagonally from the shoulder to the hip bone. There was blood on his lips and bruising underneath the eye above his old scar.

"Oh crap... What did we ever do to be sent to Hell!? I mean sure, there was that one time back in college when I-"

Gohan closed the stressed out human's lips. "You were barely clinging to life when Grandma brought you here to the lookout. Dende was able to heal you but you were still unconscious, so she just tucked you in."

So it _was_ an angel that brought him to this mattress.

"Do ya mind loosenin' me up, buddy?"

Bardock watched as his grandson helped the trapped St. Bernard out of its kennel. His body felt exhausted and drained, but he refused to eat a Senzu until he was sure Satan survived and Gine was unharmed. As relieving it was to them in good health, something still didn't feel right. All these decades of built up rage against Frieza ended with one blast that took everything he had. The demon was back in his personal hell like he deserved. Everyone survived. Earth was still rotating.

Why was he feeling so incomplete?

"Satan."

The burly man tightened the belt of his fighting robe and shook his legs to get the feeling back in them. "Bardock?"

The Saiyan took in a deep breath before pushing himself off the wall of the large guest bedroom. Bardock lifted up a hand and caused Hercule to flinch, thinking that he was going to start beating on him. After rolling his eyes at the action of the world's champion, Bardock placed his strong hand on Hercule's shoulder.

"Thanks for saving Videl... If she was dead on our arrival..."

Bardock shook his head.

He couldn't finish. He didn't want to think about it.

Hercule watched with an opened mouth as Bardock patted him twice and turned his back on the two in the room. The Saiyan's walk had a limp to it.

"Hey kiddo... what happened to your grandpa?"

Gohan beamed. He could see the Bardock's figure be joined by that of Gine's. He leaned against her, finally allowing himself to be helpless one. The much shorter female struggled to keep him upright but she soon found her footing. She then proceeded to knock him to the ground and shove a Senzu bean down his throat.

"Would you believe me if I told you he saved the world today?"

* * *

Although her eyes were tired, Bulma watched with a smile as her husband placed his custom made armor on the nightstand and lay down on their large bed. In his strong arms, laying on his chest, was their baby girl. Her little tuft of blue hair as radiant as her mom's.

"I can't believe how natural you are at this. Are you sure you haven't been reading _My Mommy and Me_ books?"

"Shut your mouth," Vegeta whispered into the forehead of his daughter but shot a glare at his wife in the doorway. "If you don't stop looking at me like that, I'm going to lock you out."

Bulma rolled her eyes and threw her arms in the air. "How foolish of me to think that time apart from one another would make you more affectionate."

The prince still kept his gaze on her as she sat by his feet. She poked her baby's foot, making the infant giggle. Bulma shook her head when Vegeta tightened his grip on the tiny thing.

"At least you're showing affection to _somebody_."

"Don't tell me you're jealous."

The thin but powerful woman punched his knee, trying to make that smirk on his face go away. When it didn't work, she sighed and positioned herself so she was now laying her body next to his with her head on his chest. Little Bulla rubbed her mom's nose and laughed when Bulma crossed her eyes.

"That was awfully nice of you to let Bardock handle the fight."

"Hn," Vegeta allowed Bulla to pinch his face. "I didn't have a choice. A true Saiyan sees a battle til the end, and he found it before I did. He's still low class. Nothing's changed."

Bulma bit her lip, unsure if she should continue to question him about what had happened. During their earlier stages of their relationship, Vegeta had told her more about his history with Frieza since she didn't always trust Goku's retelling of stories. She knew it would have been poetic justice for Vegeta to send him to Hell.

"The two of us could always resurrect Frieza again and you could have a one-on-one battle to the death."

"You're lucky there's a rug rat on my chest right now."

Bulma began to laugh but was stopped when Vegeta held her wrist. She blinked her brilliant blue eyes as he hardened his dark colorless ones. There was a sudden intensity in the room. Vegeta spoke slowly and deeply, trying to hold back what he was really feeling. Bulla was too focused on pinching his face that she didn't care about the vibe coming off her parents.

"Listen to me carefully. I don't ever want you or our daughter anywhere close to the battlefield. You're lucky nothing escalated today," Vegeta used his free hand to pinch her mouth close while his other kept Bulla from sliding off his chest. "And before you start complaining, just think about how... I-others...feel. I recall you did the same shit with Trunks years ago when we were looking for the androids."

The wife of the most stubborn man in the planet wanted to give him so much crap, but she knew her husband was right. Her curiosity and need to help always got the best of her. But still, in each occasion, she'd proven herself to be extremely useful. "And before you start judging me, just know that Whis would've never told you about Frieza if it weren't for me. Hell, he wouldn't have even trained any of you if it weren't for me! All four of you idiots should be on your knees thanking the world for me!"

"So is it safe for me to assume you'll never go away?"

"Never."

"Could you at least keep her out of this?"

Bulma nodded, giving her daughter a kiss on her soft cheek. "Of course. I'll admit that was stupid of me. What about Trunks?"

"I'll be in charge of what he can or can't be part of. You already know the type of warrior he's going to grow up to be and I won't have you messing that up."

"And with Bulla? You want her to grow up to be a shopaholic girly girl that all the boys fawn over?"

Vegeta growled in disgust and raised his daughter above his head. The little baby tilted her head in confusion at the fire growing in her father's eyes as he looked at the future protector of Earth.

"She's going to grow up and be stronger than Gohan's kid. She'll kick her ass, then she'll kick Gohan's ass. She'll send Kakarot back to Other World and give Bardock a heart attack."

"...Don't salivate now, honey..." Bulma chuckled nervously and took her kid away from the wild eyed prince. She suddenly had the feeling he was going to throw her in the gravity room. "I already know the answer but I have to ask. Are you going back to train with Whis?"

"Not right away. I have some unfinished business here."

Bulma blushed when he pulled her closer. She immediately considered running to Bulla to her crib at that very moment. Her face only turned hotter and redder when he whispered in her ear,

"I need my armor washed."

* * *

Chi-Chi nibbled quietly on her rice as she glanced from messy haired Saiyan to messy haired Saiyan. There was an awkward silence not only between them, but the entire dinner table. She was sitting in between Hercule and Videl while Goten, Gohan, and Gine were straight across from her. Goku and Bardock had their rightful spots at the head and foot. Pan had fallen asleep on the couch after playing with her human grandfather for hours after seeing he was okay.

There was so much to talk about but nobody knew where to start.

"Soooo... how's the ham?"

There was an outburst of "gooooood" and "delicious". Someone mumbled "a bit tough", but Chi-Chi ignored it. At least there was some type of conversation happening.

"Mom, this is the best ham _ever_!" Goten beamed. The pre-teen had stopped calling Chi-Chi "Mama" because it wasn't cool anymore. She had to pick her battles, though. He still complimented her cooking even if she wasn't Mama anymore.

She offered her youngest son the sweetest, red tinted smile she could manage. "Why _thank you_ , sweetie. I thought our heroes deserved it."

Bardock scoffed at the H word, earning looks from those who heard it. He'd been extra irritable since he left Dende's lookout and it didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Chi-Chi fumed at his rude expression.

"Something the matter, Bardock?"

The scarred Saiyan picked up the chunk of meat from his plate and tossed it to Chi-Chi's lap. "I said it's a bit tough."

"Hey! Don't talk about Chi-Chi's food like that!" Goku stood up from the table and placed his hands on his hips. He was truly looking like the head of the table now. They always assumed he was the foot. "I oughta rough you up for saying that!"

"GOKU!"

Bardock rose up on the other side. Now the family was confused. Both heads, both feet, or just plain dumb? "Get your woman into shape first before opening your mouth, Kakarot. The biscuits are burned. Look."

The members of the Son family grew speechless when the father threw the biscuit at his son's head. The food landed on the floor with a loud thud, proving Bardock's point. Chi-Chi's face grew bright red, and she hid her embarrassment behind her hands. Goku picked the biscuit off the floor and bit hard into it, making Goten laugh.

"Dad, you're so gross!"

"No, son, I'm just enjoying some _good_ food!" Goku picked up his plate and began making it bounce off his hand and back. He smirked as he threw his arm back. "YOU SHOULD TRY IT, DAD!"

The plate landed directly on Bardock's face, and Gine pinched the bridge of her nose when he allowed it to fall slowly to the floor and break into pieces. He wiped the remnants of his son's food off of him. Without a word, he lifted the ham off the table and began walking over to his son, The Foot. Chi-Chi stood up and blocked him, teary eyed from a mixture of anger and sadness.

"I don't know what the heck has gotten into you or why you're speaking so rudely to me, but if you do anything with that ham to my husband you're officially kicked out for the night! I don't care what you did today! This isn't you!" Chi-Chi wiped her runny nose with her sleeve, still not understanding why her father-in-law was giving her such a dirty look. It was like he came home a completely different person. "Are you going to get over whatever is happening and apologize, or make the biggest mistake of your life?"

Bardock looked down at the woman who he thought ruined his life six years ago. There was some built up rage between them for all the shit Bardock did wrong and for all the various annoyances Chi-Chi provided. Something was changing inside of him but he couldn't put a finger on it. Maybe he was being an asshole to Chi-Chi so she'd hate him. For the first time in his six years on Earth, Bardock wanted something more than being with the ones around him currently. He felt it burning inside him since hearing Frieza scream in pain.

 _He wanted to fight._

Bardock reached a hand out to caress her cheek and wiped a tear away with the thumb of his free hand. Gohan at this point was mouthing with Videl that they should go get Pan and get the hell out of there. Videl shook her head, not wanting to miss any of the action about to go down. Hercule was too busy stuffing his mouth, thinking Bardock was crazy for talking smack about Miss Chi-Chi's food.

Chi-Chi smiled sweetly as she felt Bardock's sweet gesture. Her smile only grew when her husband had touched the small of her back at the same time. Seeing that the son was now there, Bardock's half smile turned into an evil smirk, one that Chi-Chi had not seen since she first saw Gohan and him walking towards her house years ago.

Back when he was uncivilized.

He didn't break the eye contact with her when he brought the ham down hard on Goku's head, sending him to the floor. Chi-Chi angrily pushed him away, but she was soon taken around the waist by Goku who placed her near the door. The ham was around his neck after breaking through his head. "Just remember hon, he started it!"

Chi-Chi watched in disbelief as her husband grabbed a pasta dish and started beating his father with it. Goten stood from his chair and screamed,

"FOOOOOOOD FIGHT!"

The pre-teen had picked up a handful of rice and rubbed it on his brother's face. Gohan took a deep breath, causing little grains of cooked rice to fall to the table top. He didn't want to partake in this childish buffoonery but they were already in too deep. Pan was somehow sleeping through all the noise, and Videl gave him a nod of approval. It just seemed like everyone was in a fighting mood but Chi-Chi.

"Sorry Mom, I gotta do it."

Chi-Chi's felt the lines of her face increasing as Gohan poured a soup all over Goten. "Oh come on... the soup hadn't even been eaten yet..."

Getting a child mad who was already on the verge of puberty was just asking for trouble. Goten grabbed Gohan by the neck, bringing him to the floor and starting a real fight. Bardock and Goku were beating on each other much more harder, causing cracks on the tile. Videl and Gine had joined Chi-Chi by the door, unsure of what the hell was happening.

Hercule just continued to eat, thankful to be alive. He pretended not to know any fight was happening so he wouldn't end up dead again.

"Helluva good dinner, Chi-Chi! Helluva good dinner. Delicious."

"Do you think they're like hyped up on a Saiyan high or something?" Videl winced when Goten's fist connected with Gohan's jaw, which led Gohan rub his head into the kitchen tiles. "Is that a thing, Gine?"

Gine shrugged her small shoulders. "It could be... That fight today probably triggered Bardock's lust for fighting. The way he acted just now reminds me of the old him."

Images of Bardock strangling the woman in West City made Videl panic. He was currently driving his fist into Goku's head until the son bit down hard on the arm that was keeping him secure in the grip.

"Uhm... is that something we should be concerned about!?"

"Nah. He just needs a good nap."

The women looked at Chi-Chi, who had been speechless. They gulped seeing why. Her head kept lowering the angrier she became. It was like all four of them forgot how she practically raised them to respect the house that was built by the hands of her father. She knew which one started the entire ordeal and she was going to take him out first.

"Chi-Chi? What are you doing?"

She removed the purple scarf from around her neck and yanked her husband away from her target. Silently thanking Goku for making Bardock a little weaker, she wasted no time wrapping up his veiny neck. She dragged him to the front yard with all the dinner guests immediately following behind her.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Bardock ripped the scarf in half, ignoring the fact that she probably spent a lot of money on it. "You're always getting in my way!"

Now on his feet, Bardock was looking down at the mighty woman who had gotten herself into a fighting stance that resembled her husband's. He dropped the ripped scarf at her feet and spit on the grass.

"You really lost your mind if you're trying to do what I think you are."

Chi-Chi pushed the lose strands of her hair back into her bun, shaking her head. "I invited you into my home. Fed you for all these years. Allowed you to use my shower. Publicly embarrass me. Privately embarrass me. Verbally and physically abuse my children and everyone you meet. And then you cause a riot in my house. You want to fight someone so badly, fight me."

Bardock squinted his eyes, making Goten wonder why since the sun wasn't out. "I'm not going to fight you! What kind of shit is that? You can't even transform. You can't do anything."

"Then why are you scared?"

Bardock tightened his fist at the sound of "oooooh's" in the background. "If I barely tap you, I'll kill you."

"You're not that strong, get over yourself."

 _Oooooooooh._

"SHUT UP!" Bardock cracked his knuckles and neck before jumping up and down like some sort of boxer. Chi-Chi was beginning to think Videl was right about him being on some sort of Saiyan-blood high. "And since you won't shut your mouth either, I'll give you a fight."

"Good, it's been a long time coming!" Chi-Chi lifted her leg off the grassy, dewy ground and bent her knee. She twisted her hips and used the instep of her foot to hit him in the head. Bardock went staggering back, not believing that she really wanted to fight. "I'm not a cheater like you monsters, either. Pure. Martial Arts."

While she was pointing to her chest, part swept her feet with his leg and brought her to the ground. Instead of attacking her while she was down, he bounced around and waited for her to get up.

"COME ON, MOM! GET HIM!" Goten and Gohan were cheering, while Videl took notice of Goku watching Chi-Chi punch Bardock in the face. It was pretty impressive of the aging woman to get some shots in even if Bardock was allowing it to happen.

"Why, Goku, I've never seen you so in love!" She teased, but it was true. He was watching his wife fight like she use to. Nothing was more romantic and eye pleasing than that.

"She's always doing things that makes me not want to leave, but I gotta. I didn't even get to fight Frieza and I've been aching to let my full power loose! Only place I can do that is on Beerus' planet with Whis and Vegeta." The fight-hungry warrior rubbed his hands together. He knew he was on the tip of something new but could lose his life if he ever let it happen.

"Just Vegeta?" Gohan elbowed his dad. "What makes you think Gramps and I won't go back there too?"

"Eh," Goku shrugged his shoulders and brought his son closer to him. "Because I know you. You guys have work to get back to. It's been months since you've been home. Enjoy it, ya know?"

Gohan felt Videl rest her head against his massive arm. He would need to go out and buy new clothes for work since nothing would fit anymore. Although he left before Beerus and him could finish their training, Gohan knew his father was right. "Wait, what about you? Gramps is going to be pissed if you leave Mom after being gone for so long. You remember his letter."

Goku sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeeeeahh... but it doesn't matter what he thinks. Your mom knows me better than anybody. We'll have our moments before I go back. I just can't stop now, son. You know this as much as she does."

The son understood completely. His father was never going to change, but maybe it was a good thing. He was always pulling something out of thin air to save their hides. It was dumb to fight with his logic when he always proved everyone wrong.

"Can you promise me something, Gohan?"

His dad asked a question before he could respond. "Of course."

"Just because you're not going to be up there with us doesn't mean you should stop training. Keep it up, alright?"

Gohan smiled and nodded. After almost losing Videl and Hercule, he didn't want to risk the lives of his loved ones. He tightened his arm around his wife, and looked back over his shoulder through the wide open door to see Pan sleeping comfortably on the sofa.

"Mom's probably going to kill me for souping up Goten, huh?"

"And I'll be next. I think you're going to have to start gathering the Dragon Balls, Videl."

"Got it."

"FINISH HIM!" Goten screamed, mocking a video game he wasn't suppose to be playing with Trunks anymore after taking it too seriously.

His mom just delivered a front elbow strike to Bardock's jaw. After that stunner, she got him in a headlock. "While I'm sleeping tonight, you better clean up that mess you made or I won't go so easy on you next time. Plus you have work in the morning. I already called in for you."

"They should've burned you at the stake centuries ago," As she tightened her grip, Bardock choked. "Alright, alright! Damn. For the record, I didn't think your ham was too tough. I just needed to release some tension."

"There are other ways to do that, you know."

"Gross."

Chi-Chi released her father-in-law, exhausted. It seemed like the brute had had enough for the night as well. She linked her arm with his and forced him to move towards the house. The moonlit sky was illuminating their distinct features while the barn owls hooted louder than usual. Or perhaps Bardock just forgot what they sounded like.

The woman examined his arm and shook her head. "How did Gohan get so bulky and you stayed the same?"

"I dunno maybe your son is on drugs."

"You shut your filthy mouth," Chi-Chi released him and punched his shoulder. "Tell me the truth. Did you even miss us while you were gone?"

Bardock gave her a look as if the answer should have been obvious. She smiled sweetly until they came closer to the house. The filth she could see through the open door brought all her frustration back.

"YOU, YOU, YOU, AND YOU! CLEAN THAT MESS UP NOW! Goten, you're grounded until further notice! Bardock, you sleep outside! Gohan... go to work! And Goku..." Chi-Chi had about a million words to say to him but didn't have the right type of heart to give it to him all at once. "Just get the house clean again so we can get to bed."

Goku rubbed his hands mischievously together. Chi-Chi didn't even know that his hard core training over the last few months consisted of doing dishes and mopping floors. He was going to get a work out and a happy Chi-Chi all in one. "Oh, I'll get your kitchen clean for ya, Cheech. I'll get it done before any of these guys."

Bardock had his arm around Gine loosely. "That's a bold statement. Are you sure you want to go there with me?"

"Oh, I'm suuuuuuuure!"

Chi-Chi threw her arms up in the air in disbelief. They were really going to start this again! The four mess makers all tried to squeeze into the door at the same time, becoming trapped.

"Suck in your gut, Dad! You know you ate three hams!"

"The one that was put around my neck, too!"

"Tell steroid arms over there to lift them up so we can fit."

"You're just a cruel old man, Gramps!"

"Are you still eating, Mr. Satan? Isn't it cold by now?"

"And you're still a nerd! And I destroyed the Saiyaman watch you gave me years ago!"

"NOOO!"

Gine pulled Chi-Chi and Videl closer to her and sighed at the sight of three and a half Saiyans stuck in a door way. "Yup. Take it all in. These guys save the world for a living.

* * *

Gohan let out a groan when he dropped his apple to the concrete ground. He prayed that when he went down to pick it up that his sweater wouldn't rip. It was the third one Videl had to buy him this week. Luckily, the one size up seemed to do the trick. He wiped it on the soft material as if that would get rid of all the germs.

He took a bite anyway because his mom always told him to never waste food. He adjusted his eye glasses that he didn't need anymore but still had to keep up with appearance. While chomping on his apple, the professor glanced around the campus to see where he would sit for his lunch break. His usual spot was taken up by a homeless man.

The father frowned. As hungry as he was, the homeless man had to be hungrier. Gohan grew a smile and walked over to the bench. The man's body was covered in rags and by the quiet, steady breathing, Gohan figured he was alseep.

 _How strange. You're giving me the feeling that I've met you before...Well at least you'll have a nice lunch waiting for you when you wake up._

The kind hearted Gohan patted what he assumed to be the man's shoulder and began to walk away, hoping the apple would be enough to keep him full until dinner time. But before he could move an inch, a hand struck up and grabbed him by the wrist.

"AHHHHH!"

"Shhhhhhh, shut up!" Yellow eyes were glaring at him from underneath tattered blankets. He knew he sensed something familiar but didn't think he'd ever see a deity on campus! "What's this nonsense I hear about you teaching humans instead of training with me?"

"Lord Beerus, I-I... What in the world are you doing here!? I could get into some serious trouble with the security! You'll blow my cover! I-I-"

The purple fingers tightened on his wrist, causing Gohan to close his mouth. He looked around slowly, and thanked cell phones for people not paying attention to them.

"Your father and Prince Vegeta are busting themselves right now because something very serious is in the works. I could lose my Earth and all her food. Right now as we speak Whis is eating my sushi because I went out of my way to get you. I'm already going to have to give you a beating for that, but if you refuse I'll destroy you on the spot. Are we clear?"

"I just barely came home a week ago... I can't-"

"You really think you have a choice?"

Gohan sighed heavily. It just wasn't fair. He felt like he was in some sort of street gang that he could only get out of by being jumped. In this case, jumped meant destroyed into nothingness. "Can I at least say goodbye to my family?"

"No time for that. The tournament takes place in three days."

The professor blinked. "Wait... tournament? What's going on?"

 _Losing Earth? Tournament? Is this some sort of godly gambling project?_

Beerus growled, becoming angrier with each word his trainee spoke. He sat up and greedily took the food out of the brown paper bag Gohan had left him. He ate the tuna fish sandwich Videl made earlier in nanoseconds.

"Couldn't be patient, my lord?"

Whis had walked up behind Gohan holding two cartoons full of the sushi Beerus yearned for. The purple deity snatched it from his assistant's hands and pointed a long thumb at the uncertain warrior.

"He's good to go. Did Goku acquire the hybrid freak?"

Whis shrugged his thin shoulders. "I believe he just barely arrived to the high school where Bardock works. As much as I'd love to see that sight, we really should be going. This delicacy doesn't stay fresh for long."

"Whis, before you take me away from my family and responsibilities again, could you please tell me what's going?"

Beerus forced the half Saiyan's hand on the back of the angel and glowered at him. "Save it for the trip, _Whis_. It will be much more comforting than the awkward silence for thirty minutes this one usually gives."

"Waaaait, wait! Someone's going to see us! I'll be in serious trouble! My 4 o'clock class is-"

"Just look at them, you annoyance. They're robot people. They have no interest in us. Now keep your mouth shut and let us explain those damned questions you won't stop asking."

Against his will, Gohan and his kidnappers disappeared in a light beam.


	25. Ruined World

**A/N** : I don't really want to end this special chapter with an author's note, so I am thanking **Ryuko monogatari** for giving me the idea and inspiring the event that happens at the end. I am so fortunate to have such amazing, helpful, insightful, and faithful readers who haven't given up on me despite the lackluster material I've been posting.

* * *

"Glad you're back, Coach!"

"Kissing my ass won't get you out of running laps."

The boys coming out of the locker room exit onto the track field of Orange Star High gathered around the moody adult as he looked at the roster of names on his clipboard. Seeing Bardock like this, dressed in his gray sweatpants and matching sweatshirt with a whistle around his neck, nobody would believe he saved the world from ending all on his own.

The girls were now coming onto the field, some of which had tied up their over-sized gym t-shirts to reveal their stomachs to the guys. The coach rolled his eyes and threw the clipboard over his shoulder. He motioned at one of the girls with a dramatic up and down gesture.

"What's _this_ about?

The teenager flipped her long black hair over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "It' hot out here, Coach. You know... you should actually be shirtless right now."

Her circle of friends all began to giggle when she winked at Bardock, who in return closed his eyes. If he replied the wrong way, he'd be deemed a pervert. If he punched her, he'd be deemed a child abuser.

Life just wasn't fair.

"No matter who brainwashed you into acting like that, you'll never find a mate this way. What a true warrior looks for is someone to be a partner. They have to know you'll be fine on your own when they can't be there," Bardock reopened his eyes and was walking circles around the group of teens. He held up one finger. "So, you need to be strong. Physically and emotionally."

Coach Bardock's third period gym class didn't know what to think. He never spoke so many sentences before. He usually just provided a slew of curse words and yelled at the slow ones to hurry up.

He was now holding up two fingers. "Secondly, a warrior looks for someone who is understanding. They want someone who gets them. They want someone who is going to put up with the bullshit that the universe throws their way. It's the willingness of letting that person be who they truly are and not making them feel trapped."

The teens looked at each other before one sat down. It had a domino effect on the entire group until they were all on the grass watching and listening to their coach's philosophy.

Three fingers up now. "Finally, a warrior looks for someone who provides the truth. If they're being a fuckin' idiot? Say it. If they're pissing you off, tell them why. If they make you feel like you're on top of the world, remind them. You can't be afraid to tear them apart and bring them to their knees in order for them to be better," Bardock glanced at the girls who were the reason he went off on a tangent. "Did you brats hear anything about appearances? Did you hear anything about bodies or clothes or hair or any of that shit?"

"No, Coach Bardock..."

"Exactly. Beautiful things don't ask for attention."

The girls turned bright red in sudden realization of what they were doing, and promptly untied their shirts. One of the girls who had a wrinkled end raised her hand until the coach nodded at her.

"Can you talk to us more about life instead of making us run today?"

"Yeah!" Marker, the student who was still the receiver of Bardock's checks, clapped his hands in agreement. "What the heck does running teach us, anyway!? We all feel like robots playing a part of a system here! Can't we just learn something that applies to our real-world lives?"

There was an uproar of agreement. Bardock rubbed the back of his head, unsure of what he had just caused. He honestly liked pushing the kids around and making them feel like shit. It wasn't in his nature to make them enjoy his class.

Or his curriculum.

"I don't want to keep talking too personal since I hear what you little shits do on the news. You run your mouths too much and get people fired," Bardock rolled his eyes at the groans of disappointment. "Hey, hey, hey! I don't want to hear that. We won't run miles-"

"YAAAY!"

"But-"

"AWWW!"

"I'll teach you kids how to defend yourselves in case two douchebags with a gun corner your daughter in law and grandkid in an alley while the little bastard is taking a piss."

"Huh?"

Bardock waved them off. "You won't always have a full grocery cart on your side, so we'll start with the basics. Partner up."

While the 11 o' clock gym class was learning defense from a Saiyan warrior, a figure in orange and navy appeared by a set of trees near the track field. His two fingers that were pressed against his head were now formed into his fists as he walked towards his father. Goku chuckled watching Bardock steal a girl's imaginary purse.

"Whether this is a bag you females carry or the bastard is grabbing your arm, you want to use my energy to strike me instead of resisting or pulling away."

The red-headed teenager hesitantly punched her coach in the jaw, and quickly held her hand over her mouth at what she did. "Oh crap, sorry Mr. Bardock! I-I didn't mean to... Please don't expel me..."

"Kid, I'm actually pissed you didn't hit harder! Don't worry about what I feel on the other end."

"Mmmm, I dunno Dad. Last time you told me that, you were nearly sent to the other side of the planet."

A sea of whispers flowed through the circle. The teens became amused that the man who had joined them looked exactly like Coach Bardock, but a little younger and a lot happier.

Goku cupped his hands to his father's ears and whispered, "Hey, we have to battle five people from Beerus' twin brother's universe. Before you say no, mom and Chi-Chi and the gang are all welcomed to watch. If we lose, Champa becomes our God of Destruction since we'll be in his universe so it's really not a big deal. You in?"

"The fuck are you talking about?"

"C'moooooooon..."

Bardock made a disgusted face at the way his son was wriggling his eyebrows and pushed him away. "I'm going to need more information than that."

Goku looked like he was about to cry. Instead, he whined. "I can't right now! We have to leave immediately for some training since the tournament is in three days!"

The once fallen warrior groaned. It wasn't going to get out of this one easy. His body was craving for another big fight, anyway. A tournament would be a perfect opportunity to get the Saiyan fighting blood flowing. Plus, if the family could be at this thing, it shouldn't be too much of a threat. "The kids are done in five minutes. I have to let the dick at the front desk know I have 'secret fighter' shit to do."

The younger version of the coach sighed. He was really antsy to get to Beerus' planet as soon as possible. "Why!?"

"Job security."

* * *

Beerus tapped his long nails against one of Capsule Corps' patio tables. His warriors should have been back from that time chamber an hour ago. The partner of Goku placed a hot plate of banana bread in front of the deity and bowed graciously.

"It's the best I could do with the ingredients Bulma had in her kitchen, but I hope you enjoy it."

The purple being eyed her with his yellow powers of observation. He always fancied anyone who treated him like the god he was. "I now have something to pass the time, thanks to the good wife."

Chi-Chi smiled as humbly as she could and smooth down her yellow dress. Whis took a seat at the table after she had walked back to her daughter in law and granddaughter. The teacher glanced at his student and then the steam coming off the hot bread.

"It's not polite to keep something so delicious smelling all to yourself, my lord."

"She made it for _me_."

Despite the growl Beerus gave him, Whis ripped a piece off anyway. His eyes glazed over with delight as soon as he took the first bite and nearly melted into his seat. "Just heavenly. I hope your grudge against your brother doesn't take the Earthlings and their cooking abilities away from me."

Beerus took an angry bite of the bread. The image of his brother's smug smile was interacting with his taste buds too much to show the outward enjoyance of the treat. "That's not what ticks me off, Whis. Our warriors overpower theirs any day. I'm just infuriated that the bastard was sneaking around _my_ universe collecting the Super Dragon Balls that belong _here_. You know how much I hate my territory being trespassed."

Whis popped another piece in his mouth. It didn't help that Beerus and Champa were arch rivals. "They'll be returned to their rightful place, my lord. Oh... It looks like our representatives have arrived!"

Vegeta pushed himself off Goku harder than necessary and shook himself off like he had just come into contact with a disease. Bardock and Gohan looked like they had a disagreement about something and were refusing to look at one another. Besides the Saiyans, the Namek of Earth was the only other warrior who was willing to be part of the tournament.

Except, of course, the whiny brats who thought it was completely unfair they were too young.

"I hope that extra time I allowed you five to have was worth it," Beerus, along with Whis, stood beside the self chosen members. The deity made it clear to give Gohan a disapproving look. The scholar looked down with a sweatdrop on his forehead, having no idea why the god was only this cruel to him. "We are already late. Get the lead out, Whis."

While Whis began to form a cube shaped object with his staff, which would end up being their mean for transportation, Bardock and Goku were wolfing down the bread she made specifically for each of them. Goku talked with a full mouth, the remains of the bread falling out and landing on his navy boots.

"Boy, Chi-Chi! You need to go with us next time because we need some good food! Although," He scratched his chin. "Vegeta is surprisingly good at cooking!"

"Sh-Shut up, Kakarot! You're an idiot!"

"And he has good hearing," Chi-Chi laughed and earned a growl from a faraway prince. "Are you guy sure you want to go through with this? I mean, is it as harmless as you're making it up to be or will someone end up dying?"

When Gohan tried reaching for a piece of Bardock's bread, he snarled at him like a dog protecting a meat bone. Gohan retreated back to his wife, mommy, and grandma like an injured pup. "That's why Gramps is so mad at me. I keep telling him there must be a secret motive behind this. It just seems so random. Like..."

Gine tilted her head. "Like, what?"

Gohan looked over his shoulder to make sure Beerus and Whis were out of ear shot. Although their hearing was phenomenal, there was too much commotion going on from where they both stood that Gohan figured he was safe.

"I think that they just want to wipe us out completely. Beerus and his twin. This competition is just a sick game to them. I mean, how could two brothers hate each other so much? It's a setup."

"Beerus has a twin?" Chi-Chi gaped, and lowered her voice when Gohan shot her a pleading stare. "I can't believe there are two of those things running loose out there. Are they identical?"

Gohan once again looked over his shoulder. Safe. "I have no clue. All I know is that his name is Champa, and his attendant is Whis' older sister named Vados. They were gone from our universe by the time I got to the temple to train."

Bardock snorted, now finished with his bread. He gave an empty plate to the hungry Gohan. "You already know it's going to be double the Skeletor walking around."

"Gohan."

The young father released a scream that sounded similar to his young daughter's, except she was laughing at the embarrassing reaction of her daddy. One of the Skeletors had appeared right behind him.

"That wasn't me that said that! I swear!"

"You didn't bring the sword, did you?"

Gohan turned to his family before speaking, but his face dropped at the fact they disappeared and left him to die alone. They were already heading into the transportation cube that Whis said couldn't be tracked by the Galactic Patrol. This caused a heated argument between Jaco and the air.

 _Treacherous snakes..._

"Uh... No, Lord Beerus, sir. Was I suppose to?"

Beerus eyed him carefully. He had been hoping that the lack of confidence would have decreased by now. Maybe the poor kid was still afraid of him. Which, honestly, wasn't a bad thing. Fear led to respect. "No. One of the rues for the tournament is no weapons. I didn't want one of our best to be disqualified over an idiotic mistake."

 _One of the best...?_

"Oh, uh, thank you Lord-"

"Do you have a back up plan?"

Gohan gulped. He had been working on something with the mentoring of Piccolo, but it's effectiveness relied on the strength of the opponent. Which he knew nothing about. "Yes, sir. I do."

"Get in the cube, then."

Beerus gestured towards their transportation for the trip, allowing Gohan to walk ahead of him. The boy took a deep breath and prayed that a blast wouldn't go through his back before he even made it to the tournament.

* * *

The different families, God of Destruction, his assistant, and a Galactic Patrolman traveled through the galaxy to a nameless planet located between Universe 6 and 7. They were one among the plethora of stars. They saw the entirety of planets that scientists weren't even aware of. Then, they came across the Super Dragon Balls. The massive size of them were comparable to the size of Earth. Most of them wondered about the size of the dragon that would come from such orbs.

But the young Trunks' mind went somewhere else.

"Hey, Goten. What do you think is bigger, these balls or Majin Buu's ass?"

"Definitely the ass!"

The preteens received severe smacks to the head by their mamas. Beerus contemplated doing the same thing, but since he had a distaste for the pink beast, he shrugged it off.

The kids actually gave him an idea for an insult towards Champa.

After some good eating provided by Chi-Chi yet again, the cube landed on a platform floating in the middle of the universe. It continually circled around where the arena was in a slow motion. Before the passengers could exit, two people appeared that made Gohan rub his eyes.

If Beerus actually gained weight from the food he ate, he would look like the purple deity standing next to a female version of Whis.

"That must be Champa and Vados," Gohan nudged his grandfather, who looked sickened. "The twin brother and older sister."

"No shit," Bardock growled. The fat Beerus was smirking and motioning with one finger for the fighters to emerge. "You put Beerus next to that guy and you'd have either ad for weight loss or what donating to a starving child could result in."

Beerus and Whis had left the cube before the others, and the passengers observed what appeared to be a heated conversation between the deities. Champa shook his meaty fist at Beerus before heading to a platform of his own where he and his team would be sitting. Beerus held his temple in frustration before making Whis get the fighters.

"It looks like there's an... intelligence test you five have to take before you're eligible to fight," Beerus shuddered at the thought and looked up at the stars. "The bastard must have been aware I have a pack of Saiyans."

Vegeta brushed past the group, eager to get started. "I can't speak for Kakarot and the dog, but you have nothing to worry about Lord Beerus. Even when they fail, we still have a good chance with myself and Gohan."

"Hey!" Goku placed a comforting hand on the back of Piccolo, who he felt like had been personally attacked. "Piccolo's a genuis!"

Vegeta didn't acknowledge that comment. He had already begun to follow Vados, causing Goku to want to do the same. The observers left on the floating platform waved goodbye and wished different good lucks while watching some of the strongest warriors of Universe 7 head to a different section to take their intelligence test.

The warriors of Champa's team were already seated. Goku took in the sight of them, noticing they wore their personalities on their faces. A big yellow bear wearing red was looking at his opponents deviously, as if plotting something already. There was a robot that was looking down at its feet. There was a purple skinned being wearing a trench coat with his eyes closed, not interested in seeing his rivals.

And then...

"Whoa! They have a Frieza!"

It was true. Where Frieza was purple, this guy was blue. He offered the Saiyans a warm smile, making Bardock curl his fist.

"Did that son of a bitch just smile at us?"

"I think he did, Gramps. I think he did."

"I dunno," Goku scratched his head. "He seems a bit different than our Frieza, doesn't he?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and smacked Goku on the spot he just finished scratching. "And you're judging that off of a twitch of his lip? Give me a break!" The prince was about to give Goku more heat, but the final member of Champa's team had risen from his seat and started walking to the group of four Saiyans and a Piccolo. The fighter was wearing an outfit Bardock had immediately recognized; it was one that he wore as a child before Frieza took over Planet Vegeta.

"Are you a Saiyan?"

The fighter and Bardock had asked each other the question at the same time, and both responded with a head nod.

"What!?" Goku began inspecting the fighter and getting too deep in his personal space. He lifted up his arm and examined it for a minute before putting it down. "Are you the only one of your kind in your universe?"

The Universe 6 Saiyan shook his head with a kind smile. "No, there's many of us who live in peace on Planet Sadala. I'm just the only one who wanted to help out Champa."

Vegeta nodded. "Planet Sadala was home before Planet Vegeta. The Saiyans before us destroyed it due to conflicts. Do you have a name, boy?"

The Saiyan even shorter than the prince nodded and struck out his hand. "Cabba."

"Well, _Cabba_ ," Bardock spoke as if that wasn't the kid's real name. Gohan face palmed himself. "How well do you get along with that little shit over there?"

Cabba followed the direction Bardock was pointing to. When he saw it landed on the frost demon, he chuckled. "To be honest, I just met him this morning. I hear he's an amazing guy, does a lot of charities and missions to help children in war torn regions."

Bardock and Vegeta exchanged glances, knowing exactly what was being said to one another with no words at all. They were born into the wrong universe. They may have a Frieza, but it wasn't a tyrant. At least this Frieza hadn't taken over any planet. Frieza in their universe came back to life for the the millionth time to kill them. This one loves children.

Their Frieza murders children.

"Some bastards have all the luck," Vegeta muttered before raising his voice to Cabba. "Don't think we'll go easy on you just because you're one of us."

Cabba smiled as he followed the Saiyans and Piccolo to the desks. "I won't. I'm excited!"

The prince smirked. Cabba had gone back to where he had first sat before Beerus' team had arrived. Vegeta picked a seat the furthest away from Goku, knowing that if the fool had ever gone to school, he'd be the one trying to copy the smart kids. Bardock sat close to Gohan for that very reason, while Piccolo and Goku were behind them.

Vados walked as graceful as only an angel could while passing out the intelligence tests. When she placed a pencil on Gohan's desk, he noticed how long her snowy hair was when it smacked him in the face.

"You have ten minutes to complete this test. It is just to make sure you have some sort of intelligence within you. If you score a 50 or higher, you will be able to compete in the tournament."

"Pst," Goku was trying to get his son's attention. The scholar was already close to finishing the exam. "Pssssssst. Gooooohan. What did you get for the second one?"

Vados slammed a hand down on the messy haired fighter's desk before he could continue to harass his eldest for answers. "If you talk one more time, you will be disqualified!"

Sweating, Goku held the paper close to his face and squinted real hard as if that would suddenly make the situation better. The words suddenly seemed foreign, making the big lug wonder if Champa purposely made this in a different language to knock their team out early. Sighing, Goku decided to do what he did for the written part of the license test he took years ago.

Fill in a lot of B's and C's and hope for the best.

"Eyes on your own paper!"

Gohan didn't have to look far to see who she was talking to. Bardock's neck was nearly detached from his body as he craned to see his grandson's answers. Vados personally moved him back upright, earning so profane mutters from the cheater.

"I'm done, Miss Vados!" Gohan announced proudly and walked it over to her.

 _"I'm done, Miss Vados_!" Bardock said in a mocking tone, earning some snickers from Goku and a glare from his grandson. "What a fucking nerd."

While Gohan waited for Vados to finish grading his test, one of the members from Champa's team had come up behind him. It was the purple guy with the trench coat. His hands became buried deep in the pockets of his outfit after submitting the paper. Gohan stuck out his hand for a greeting.

"Heya, I'm Gohan! Nice to..." He watched as the guy completely dissed him by closing his eyes and heading towards the platform Champa was resting at. He didn't even wait to hear his score. "...Meet you... Hm."

"You may go join Beerus," Vados pointed to where the strange trench coat guy had gone. "You'll be in the platform directly across Champa and your opponents today."

Gohan wasn't sure if he should bow or not, but Vegeta dragged him away before he could make a decision. "Whoa, wait, you're not gonna see if you got a 50 or higher?"

"I already know I passed, you should have to. You just need validation because you're a pansy ass that went through a period of being deprived attention."

"...You don't have to say it like that..." Gohan checked to see if his father was done yet, but he was still sitting there scribbling on his paper. He could tell he had no clue what he was answering. The young adult found a smile when he saw Piccolo flying towards him and Vegeta, thankful that his mentor was going to be part of this.

When Bardock and Goku had turned their tests in at the same time, Vados eyed them suspiciously. She gave them the "gimme a minute" finger. While she graded, Bardock rubbed his temples and looked at his son through his peripherals.

"I've never seen that shit before in my life. I guess that's what I get for having the brats do my homework when I was trained by Roshi."

"Nah, Dad. I understand. Our brains are in our fists!"

"Congratulations," Vados looked and sounded anything but enthused. "You both passed by the lowest possible score."

The brutes high-fived each other before finding their team members. They gave a thumbs up to the spectators, earning cheers, and then took a seat on a strangely comfortable couch. Vegeta looked across from him at the platform of Champa's team, particularly at the little Saiyan named Cabba. The Saiyans in that universe are a completely different breed, if all of them are like him.

He almost seemed _too_ gentle.

"Hey, Clown Senior. What do you think about Planet Sadala still existing in that Saiyan's world?"

Bardock shrugged nonchalantly. At this point in time, it didn't really matter anymore. Planet Sadala was ruined by his ancestors, and then Planet Plant was overthrown by his ancestors, and then Planet Vegeta was destroyed. Although Cabba was lucky to have an original home planet not ruined by anything or anyone, that meant that his people were too soft. He probably didn't even know what a Super Saiyan was.

"I think you're just happy you'll finally have a chance to fight someone shorter than you. Now you'll understand why we laugh so much when we spar you."

Beerus intervened between the two before a battle to the death broke out. "Rock-paper-scissors for the fighting order. Quickly."

While his team did what they were told, for once surprisingly, Beerus looked at the portraits of Champa and himself on either side of the arena. The deity of Universe 7 decided he was definitely the better looking twin. The giant cricket-like alien, who was acting as the announcer and referee for the tournament, had suddenly appeared right beside him.

"Do you know your order yet, Lord Beerus?"

Beerus looked to his team, who all seemed pissed except for Bardock. He was the first to go, followed by Piccolo, Vegeta, Gohan, and Goku was last. The messy haired, orange clad warrior plopped down on the couch with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Maaaan, no fair. My dad's probably gonna knock out all of 'em before I get a chance!"

Vegeta released a quick, harsh snort. "I wouldn't count on that. It ends with me, not that dog."

The announcer had left the squabblers to begin the first fight. The spectators listened to the order of the fighters, and a tiny penguin like creature who sang only the first line of the universal anthem. Beerus and Champa shot out blasts at the same time to hit the battle gong, signaling the beginning of the first round of the tournament.

"From Universe 7, BAAAAAAAAAAAAAARDOOOOOOOOOOOCK!" The announcer sang out, making crazy hand motions at Bardock as he strode to the middle of the arena. The Saiyan swatted at him like the bug he was to stop, but the announcer wasn't finished yet. "Bardock very recently saved his planet from complete annihilation! Let's hear it for BAAAAAAAAAAAAARDOOOOOOOOOOOCK!"

There was a loud sea of "whoooooows" coming from the floating panel that consisted of all the Earthlings. Bardock tightened his headband in order to ignore the attention force-ably being placed on him. He glanced up at the large sign of the fighters from each side, and smirked when he saw the image of his competitor.

"And from Universe 6... FROOOOOOOST!" The announcer bowed graciously when the blue and white demon had strutted to meet Bardock. Frost offered the Saiyan a warm smile and a large wave. "Frost is very active in war torn communities! He donates everything he has those whose lives are ruined by the disaster war causes and defends villages from the violence! He is a constant advocate for children and is a beacon of hope! LET'S HEAR IT FOR FROOOOOOST!"

During the introduction, the announcer had a dramatic video with slides and clips of Frost's service work in his universe. Bardock looked at where Gine and Chi-Chi were in disbelief when they were cheering for the enemy.

 _This has to be fake..._

Once Frost had reached Bardock, he offered him his hand to shake. When the Saiyan refused, the opponent still smiled sweetly and spoke politely. "Thank you for giving me the honor of fighting someone who has saved his entire world. It is my greatest pleasure to learn from you, win or lose."

 _What the fuck..._

The more Bardock thought about it, maybe this little shit was telling the truth. Cabba and the other Saiyans from his universe are the complete opposite version of Bardock's crew and who he grew up with. Maybe the version of Frieza had to be the opposite, as well.

 _I'm still not going to shake his hand._

"Why don't you just get into your final form already?"

Frost tilted his horned head to the side, pretending to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, stop with this corny routine. I have one of your kind in my universe. Don't beat around the bush," Bardock put his fists to his side and transformed into a Super Saiyan, sensing that this would be as far as he needed to go. Vegeta took a look at Cabba, and knew by his shocked expression that he had never seen this before. "There. I did it for you. You're all about equality or some shit, right?"

Frost chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "You got me, you got me. It's an honor-"

"SHUT UP!"

Frost put his hand against his heart as if Bardock's words truly hurt him. Chi-Chi could be heard from the platform screaming 'boo' at Bardock's attitude with such a kind, giving, child loving hero. Bardock continued to eye the demon suspiciously as he went through his transformations, until finally getting to the version whose ass he wanted to kick.

Without giving the opponent a chance, Bardock started to rapidly attack the poor hero with a series of jabs to the face. Frost was beginning to fall to his knees, weakened by the full blown Super Saiyan punches. The spectators continued to boo Bardock, pissing him off further and making his attacks stronger. It wasn't until the demon began to stumble backwards that Bardock paused for a minute.

 _Yeah, this thing isn't a threat. Not even comparable to Frieza's power._

The Saiyan urged Frost to come forward, despite the obvious weakening of his body. "C'mon, I know you could at least get one hit in."

Frost struggled to walk forward, almost looking the soldiers who held up a flag during battle. "I'm the only hope for so many of those poor, homeless children... I will not fail them..."

The demon was close enough to aim for Bardock's shoulder.

Only he had missed and came into contact to where his heart was instead.

Wondering if his trick had worked, Frost took a step backward and waited to see what would happen.

The moment that the fist had come into contact to his heart, Bardock's vision had become distorted. Frost was being stretched up and down, left to right, and spun out of control.

"What... the fuck did you do to me..." The voice was too weak, diminishing so much to the point that Bardock was only whispering to himself as he clutched his heart. He vision had become so awful that he could barely make out the kick that knocked him out of the arena.

From up above, Gohan had watched in horror as his grandfather took in one last breath out before his chest did not move at all anymore. The grandson couldn't even hear anymore. He jumped off the panel to get to his grandpa the same moment his mother, grandmother, and wife were doing the same.

But his body disappeared before they could reach him.

While Beerus began fighting with Champa about disqualifying Frost for killing a team member, the announcer shot back that Bardock himself had disappeared before anyone could check his vitals. Therefore, it was a forfeit and Frost was an innocent winner.

"Whis! Whis!" Gohan grabbed onto the angel by his shoulders, trying to find the water that was building up in his eyes. "Is that what really happened!? Did Gramps just... I dunno what he did! Did he just leave for a little? If someone gets eliminated here, are they sent somewhere else?"

"Mm, no," Whis pushed Gohan away and brushed off the parts of his clothing the hybrid had touched. "He definitely died."

"WHAT!?" Goku was holding back Gohan from attacking the one who killed Bardock, but was in hysterics himself to understand what had just happened. "How could he have died!? Bardock couldn't have lost that easily, let alone died! You have to be wrong, Whis!"

"This is why I constantly reminded Bardock to be cautious in battle," Whis sighed and threw his teal hands up. "Oh well. Maybe you guys will have a string of luck and he'll return."

Having been on the defensive side already, Gohan pushed his father out of the way to get closer to the attendant. "That's why we are going to do everything in our power to win this tournament! We'll use the Super Dragon Balls to bring him back!"

Whis tapped his staff near the tip of his toes and shook his head. "Mm-mm. You're not aware of the curse the Kanassans put him, are you?"

Gohan hooded his eyes. He always felt uneasy when Whis began to talk like this. "What do you mean? Shenron removed the curse years ago!"

"While it is true the dragon granted your wish, Shenron was only powerful enough to remove the ability to foresee the future and not time travel at random. There are repercussions that you Earthlings never take into consideration when you use the Dragon Balls," Whis sighed once more and tilted his head to the side. "Bardock's alive, but no longer in this timeline. Every time Bardock dies, he will be transported to a different moment in time. Perhaps in another world. This part of the Kanassan curse will never be lifted."

Beerus crossed his thin arms over his chest while Gohan and Goku began to throw Whis a slew of questions and exasperation. "That's what you Saiyans get for murdering mindlessly. Don't feel bad for his past mistakes. You must reap what you sow. Piccolo, you're up next."

* * *

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

The sounds of bombs exploding and the cackling embers of the aftermath woke Bardock up. He lay in a crater, looking up at a darkened, smoke-filled sky. It was a large contrast to the beautiful blue yonder he experienced the first time he opened his eyes on Earth. He lifted a hand to his chest to feel the pain that Frost had inflected on him, but sat up right when he couldn't feel anything.

This wasn't right at all.

 _Fucking bastard's poison sent me to Hell..._

It made the most logical sense, given his surroundings. Bardock balled up his fist while rising to his feet. He jumped out of the crater and placed his hands on his hips while donning a furrowed brow.

"Yemma, you piece of shit!" He screamed to nobody. "I thought I did enough for the world to at least be in purgatory!"

He kicked a pebble, or perhaps a piece of a building, in front of him. Hell was too quiet. He thought there would be much more fire and demonic creatures running around. After a moment of grumbling and a series of cursing, Bardock shrugged his colossal shoulder muscles.

 _They better use those fucking Super Dragon Balls to wish me back._

"BLACK!"

Bardock wasn't even standing for forty seconds until a blue haired, sword-wielding maniac came charging at him from behind the ruble of a destroyed building. The tip of the weapon grazed his shoulder, causing a rip in the golden band of his armor. The warrior held onto both of the attacker's wrists tightly with two hands, glaring into his hateful blue eyes. That hairstyle the maniac wore was similar to that of a child Bardock was all too familiar with.

The Saiyan's hands were beginning to tremble to match the rhythm of the rage flowing through the swordsman's veins that were in his grip. Bullets from the guns of hidden snipers were hitting Bardock at all directions, while the grenades being thrown were exploding what remained of the structures in the area. The scent of death and dying lingered in the air, and Bardock had a gut wrenching feeling that it has been this way for eternity.


	26. Relationship That Breaks Through Time

**A/N:** **(LOTS OF STUFF TO BE SAID HERE, IT'S IMPORTANT IF YOU GIVE A SHIT BUT IF NOT ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!)** After much thought, I have decided to end this sequel with a completion of the Goku Black Arc and Uni 6 vs. 7. Super is still a continuing project, and I am loving it so far, but there is just many unexpected twists and turns happening that it is making it hard to come up with a plan of how to tackle it all. I do believe that I will make a third story in the future long after Super has finished or has gotten past the Tournament of Power, but at the moment I just want to give everyone who has shown support and love a strong ending.

I know that the quality of my writing has declined over the last two years (CAN YOU BELIEVE IN A FEW WEEKS, THE ENDING OF WALKING TOWARDS THE SUNSET WAS POSTED TWO YEARS AGO!? CRAZY!) and that is due to a lot of my own personal problems. Sometimes, I lose my muse. I want to give you guys amazing stuff and fast updates, but when I start to write I find myself drawing a blank despite having so many ideas and plans for this story. I feel bad for making you guys wait so long, because people have lost interest or when they DO read it, they are upset because, well, it's trash. It's not my best effort despite myself hoping it would be.

I look back at my old stuff and it almost makes me depressed seeing how much better I use to be. It can happen again. I just need to get the words out onto this screen. I know that I have messed up a lot, particularly in characterization as a lot of you pointed out, but I promise I wasn't aware. I was just trying to use similes and metaphors that absolutely-fucking-failed. I don't like to be a boring writer and try to phrase things differently, but well... just look at the reviews guys you'll see what the hell happened lmao.

I am NOT going to skip the Universe 6 vs 7 tournament or rush through the Goku Black arc. I am just letting you all know that it is my stopping point for right now, since a LOT is going to happen to Bardock - this _is_ his story after all - and his overall growth and development since Walking Towards the Sunset will leave you with a very satisfying ending.

I take it with my head held high, and my hopes of this improving even higher as I learn from YOU GUYS. I really do love you guys. I hope this chapter proves that. Sorry for the long author's note, but some things had to be said. Keep making me better. I love it. Please enjoy, and I hope it gives you _Walking Towards the Sunset_ feels.

I will be doing my best to give you quality work from here on out, so these events are going to unfold slowly and not be so rushed. The only part that is is the fight between Piccolo and Frost because my creative juices are not flowing for that and I really wanted to get this chapter out to you. I will make the rest of the fights in the tournament different from canon, and definitely Bardock in Trunks' world unexpected for you. Please, Writing Gods, Please. Let this please my favorite people...

* * *

Bardock was all too familiar with that look on his attacker's face. It was one of pure hatred, one that was so desperate to accomplish the task and rid the world of him once and for all. The scarred Saiyan was a good foot taller than the sword wielding maniac and was able to look down at him. The veins of Bardock's arms were continuing to grow in size as he struggled to keep a grip on the increasingly angry assailant.

"I'm not letting go until you give me a chance to explain myself."

The slim young adult studied the enemy's face. There was one striking feature that made his stomach turn. The scar on a much older face that nobody in this world could have possibly given Black. The fake Black was putting up with the stinging of Mai's special machine gun, but still refused to release any wrists he was giving the death grip to.

The grown up version of the child back at home opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced quickly by the screaming of one of Earth's last soldiers.

"DON'T TELL ME THERE ARE TWO OF THEM!?"

Above the last remaining mortals on the planet, a black cloud was forming. The soldiers began shooting and throwing whatever they could, ignoring their leader and the look alike. The long black haired girl wearing a military green cap had finally joined the side of her partner, sending a nasty glare towards Bardock who seethed in return. She pointed the barrel of her gun directly at his headband covered forehead.

"I'll handle this one, Trunks! You need to stop Black from killing more of our men!"

"No," Trunks looked directly into the eyes of the Saiyan warrior. If this was some sort of copy that Black made of himself, it would have attempted to kill him right on the spot. There was something still evil about his face, but something heroicly familiar at the same time. "Prove you're on our side by joining our fight. I'll end you right here and now if not."

Bardock glanced up at the sky, following the direction of Trunks' eyes. A ki blast had escaped the unilluminated cloud and directly hit the face of the soldier who was the first to cry out. The man's body flew and landed a few feet away from Bardock, causing the time traveler to finally let Trunks go. Obsidian eyes focused in on a white boot crushing the already dead soldier's neck with a piercing snap.

The smoke had finally cleared once the army stopped firing out of shock for their fallen comrade. One clearly distraught soldier released a heart broken cry that formed from deep within his throat as he fired his bullets until nothing was left. The murderer of his brother laughed cruelly, the sound of it sending a shiver down Bardock's spine.

He had heard that laugh before.

Bardock was so fixed on what was going on in his own mind that he didn't realize Trunks was now standing in front of the dead soldier's brother, protecting him from the same fate. The glowing of Trunks' hair finally brought his attention to the battle happening so close by. He saw the Super Saiyan's fist connect with the jaw of the one these people called Black.

 _What in the hell is going on..._

"HEY! KAKAROT! HAVE YOU CAUSED ALL THIS!?"

The one who looked exactly like his son smirked at Bardock while holding onto Trunks face with one palm. He blasted this Earth's only chance into an already damaged building without taking his cold lethal stare off his next pathetic excuse of a challenge. With the half breed off his back momentarily, Black had begun a slow saunter towards the Saiyan taunting him.

Mai shot her gun twice at the enemy before using the weapon to shove Bardock's spine. "I'm going after Trunks. Are you going to buy me some time or turn your back on us?"

Bardock really, really hated earth women. He waved her off so she wouldn't bother his inspection of the person walking towards him. If this Trunks was the same one that visited the Earth he knew all those years ago, this Kakarot died of a heart disease. Maybe this was a different timeline, one where Kakarot's real, true Saiyan self was finally completing his mission.

That wouldn't explain the all black gi and green...

 _Potara earring?_

How could Bardock feel so cold when the entire planet was on fire?

Black bared his teeth, and unlike his son's, this smile was devoid of warmth or humor. Bardock had only known one other evil like this in his life, and he kicked its ass. Same thing was going to happen to this impostor.

"Who are you!?"

The being everyone feared had finally froze. He crossed his hands over his chest and tilted his head to the side, studying the newcomer. He could be the one to give this body what it needed.

"I'm Son Goku."

If Kakarot had a full brain and was born a century earlier, this would most likely be how he sounded. He said it so mockingly that Bardock tensed up. This whole situation caused a lot of questions that wouldn't receive any answers until Bardock could defeat this Kakarot copy.

"More like 'I'm a lying sack of bullshit and I did something to Son Goku'. Tell me who you really are."

Black's formerly intrigue with one of Trunks' reinforcements was completely lost. He was just as dimwitted and impure as the rest of the mortals. The power he was withholding wasn't worth keeping him alive any longer. Moving faster than Bardock could comprehend, his boot had come into contact with his ribs with such force that the Saiyan's ribs broke instantly. He struggled to get to his feet again while coughing up blood, but Black already decided he wasn't going to allow it. The evil entity flew towards his prey again, only to be hit by the sword of that meddling hybrid.

With a fading Super Saiyan charge, Trunks tossed his weapon like a Frisbee at the seemingly undefeatable enemy. It distracted the now pissed off Black long enough for Mai to fire a gun that had the same effect as Solar Flare. The two helped the broken Saiyan to his feet, ignoring the profanity he was spitting at them.

"It was a cheap shot! You punk ass kids better let me go!" Bardock tried elbowing Trunks, but was surprised by the strength within just one arm to keep him from moving. "HE DID SOMETHING TO MY SON!"

"Son?" Trunks looked behind the wounded one to Mai, who mouthed that they had to go now. "Wait a minute... You're Goku's father?"

"Yeah, and you're Prince Vegeta's son. Want a medal?" Before Bardock could yell at them to let him go after Black full power, he was knocked in the back of the head by a ki-powered hand. Bardock fell into Mai, who shoved him back towards Trunks.

"Sorry, but if you're really Goku's dad, I'm going to need you not to die!" Trunks flung the Saiyan over his shoulder and took Mai by the hand, escaping death for another morning.

* * *

"That's... just incredible. Your story. I can't even imagine going through all that."

After a series of fits and punches when Bardock finally woke up, he was forced to explain his life up to the point they met while Mai bandaged him up. He narrowed his eyes. The kid literally lived in a world of nonstop death and destruction. "Oh, don't humor me. A piece of shit killed me with poison and I woke up here. You've lived in this nightmare since you were born."

Trunks rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't realized it, but he truly did never catch a break. If it weren't the androids, it was Black. At least Majin Buu was ended before it begun, thanks to Supreme Kai's training. "At first, it was hard to find Black with an intention of killing him. He looks exactly like Goku. He even goes around calling himself Son Goku. Everything was... finally back to normal after everything the androids did and then..."

Mai noticed that her partner was looking at her for help when his throat had become lumpy. She gently added another layer of tape to Bardock's injury. They had kindly given him the entire couch so he could rest. "It was like he appeared from thin air. He proclaimed he was going to kill all earthlings for the sake of justice. He has caused worldwide destruction to the point that the refugees in this camp are the last remaining survivors... Thanks to Trunks."

Trunks was frowning at his raggedy boots. "I have no idea how to defeat him or how he is in Goku's body. I have vowed to do everything in my power to keep the last of us alive, but it's getting more difficult each time we encounter him. When I saw you from the lookout, I really thought you were him. Sorry about that."

Bardock shrugged. "It's not my first case of mistaken identity. I'm just pissed off that he stole my son's body. Did you notice that potara earring?"

When Supreme Kai was alive, he told Trunks all about the potara earrings. It was going to be a last resort if he somehow couldn't defeat Dabura or Babidi, except there was nobody strong out there he could have fused with.

"Yeah, I got a good glimpse of that the first time we fought. He must have stole it from Supreme Kai when he killed him."

"Oh shit! Shin's dead?"

"You sound happy about that..."

"Sorry, long story. Bad history between us," Bardock lifted his body up so Mai could get around his back. "I guess it makes sense, but why would he have just one? Is there someone he's trying to fuse with?"

"Sadly, I know as much as you."

When Mai had finish wrapping Bardock's torso with medical tape, she placed the top part of his armor in the laundry basket. "You'll help me wash that tomorrow. It made our clothes smell even worse."

"Every god damn time I land on this planet, there's always some woman ruining my life," Bardock's wrapped up stomach growled and he looked as kind as it was possible for him at the tough human. "You got any food?"

Mai removed a can with a drawing of a cat on it from the table and handed it to him. The Saiyan stuck his nose up at it like a spoiled child, having become so use to Chi-Chi's gourmet style cooking.

"Are you serious!? What kind of shit is this!?"

"Our only source of food at the moment and we are giving you the last can," Mai spoke as sternly as possible, showing she was being one hundred percent serious. "You're in a different world now, Bardock. You're going to have to make sacrifices if you want to survive."

The Saiyan looked at the opened can with a grimace, then at Mai, and then at Trunks. If this was their only source of food, it would explain why the prince's son had become so thin. He hesitantly took it and nearly threw up at the scent. It was the same shit Gine fed Lucy.

At that very moment, a tiny black cat had emerged under the couch Bardock was resting on as if it had been summoned. She sat on her hind legs and gave the warrior the most perfect begging face a cat could possibly manage. Seeing that its bones were visible under its fur made Bardock's choice easier. He placed it in front of the animal and it hungrily wolfed it down.

"I also have a cat back at home. She's a bitch, though. Ungrateful unlike this one. Ate my entire salmon and didn't give a shit," Bardock gave the black cat two big pats on the head before relaxing into the couch. "Well actually, she did. She took a giant one in Gohan's shoes and the poor bastard didn't realize it until three hours later."

Trunks and Mai looked at each other until they both busted out laughing. It was a sound that hadn't been heard since Black first arrived to Earth to begin his elimination of all mortals. The two continued to listen and laugh at stories of Bardock's timeline, about people Trunks loved and cared for. It was a happy moment for everyone in the room until Bardock stopped in the middle of his story about Chi-Chi finding Goku's bacon stash under the mattress.

"Is she still..."

Trunks took a deep breath before placing his cup of water down. He always hoped nobody would ask him that question. "The last time I saw Chi-Chi was at the funeral we had for Gohan. After that... she kind of just fell out from my mom and me. I figured it hurt her too much to be around us."

Bardock looked up at the ceiling. The Chi-Chi in this timeline lost Kakarot and never had Goten. Gohan and Ox were her only family. Black definitely offed Ox King, but Chi-Chi... Chi-Chi was strong. She was a fighter, and if not that, a hider.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Trunks picked up a nearby slipper and threw it at the recovering Saiyan's head. "I know that look! You need to recover first before you go out there trying to find her!"

"Yeah, go suck a lemon kid. Or nibble on your cat food."

Mai threw the other slipper at him, this time hitting his rib hard and causing Bardock to control his middle finger from reeling up. "Trunks is right. If Black finds you, there's no way you could defend yourself against him in this condition."

"So what? You two just sit around here all day eating cat food waiting for that fucker to arrive?" Bardock sat himself up and fought against his aching body. He looked at Trunks like he was the most disgusting thing in an alternate timeline. "No son of the prince would be in hiding. You should be ashamed of yourself. I could beat his ass six ways from Sunday if I powered up. He got a cheap shot in and I was still weak from the poison."

The gun slinging woman was about to stand up for her man, but Trunks silenced her with a pat on the knee. He wasn't at all offended by Bardock's words. He had heard much, much worse from Vegeta. "You don't understand. Black keeps getting stronger and stronger. I need help from your son and my father. In a week I'm meeting up with my mom since she's been working on extracting power for the time machine. I just know... I just know they can do what I can't."

Bardock blinked blankly at the prince's son for a minute before speaking. "I don't know about your father, but Kakarot can get the job done. You know, since you're such a huge disappointment."

"AT LEAST HE'S KEPT ALL OF US ALIVE, ASSHOLE!"

Trunks chuckled while Mai threw yet another nearby object at Bardock's broken ribs. All full blooded Saiyans were definitely the same. Proud of their bloodlines. "What about Gohan? He was an absolute beast against Cell."

"You're damn right, kid."

Trunks shook his head at the smug look of the grandfather and stood up. He grabbed a rolled up blanket from on top of a broken shelf and covered the now scowling time traveler with it. Bardock was like an old friend despite never meeting before.

"Mai and I are going to be the night watch tonight since our regular soldier just lost his brother. Rest up. We'll get you back to your family in a week."

Bardock slapped his hand away. Trunks looked over his shoulder before leaving him. He had a bad feeling deep in his chest that Bardock was going to go to Mount Paozu the second he was gone.

"Hey. I'm serious."

"About what!?" The wounded one sneered. What he wouldn't give for a good senzu bean so he could kick that skinny ass.

"If you leave, I won't be there to save you. You're on your own."

The scarred warrior spat on the floor, almost hitting the cat. Who does this punk think he is? His voice held venom, but he didn't look his savior in the eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

* * *

Piccolo just couldn't figure it out.

How in the hell did this Frost character kill someone like Bardock, especially with a power level so much lower than his? Although everyone on the Universe 7 side besides Whis and Beerus agreed it was bullshit, the tournament had to continue.

 _Heh. At least the old guy is still alive out there somewhere._

The Namek didn't bother to look at Gohan or Goten, knowing they were the most distraught of the group over the fact that Bardock had just vanished. While the bell was rung for the battle to begin, he silently hoped that their usual annoying positive outlook on life would kick in and they'd believe Bardock would return.

 _Alright, this one's for you Saiyan bastard._

Already pissed off at the white and blue demon, Piccolo avoided Frost's first attack by appearing in the air. He wanted to knock this pest out as quickly as possible for the sake of Gohan and placed two fingers on his forehead to power up his special beam cannon. Goku cheered wildly from the sidelines after not seeing that move in a long time.

"WOO! I SEE YOU PICCOLO!" Goku then whispered to an already annoyed Beerus. "Did you know I was killed by one of those!?"

"You don't say..."

Vegeta elbowed the loud mouth Saiyan harshly, earning a pouting 'ow'. "Shut up! Don't you notice anything risky about what the Namek's doing?"

It only took a moment for Goku to remember how long it took for the special beam cannon to charge up. He had every bone in his body broken by Raditz for more than ten minutes until it finally fired. Frost had caught on to it as well, and began firing his bright red ki blasts at the Namek who had barely begun warming up.

Lucky for Piccolo, his reflexes were fast. He continued to charge his attack while avoiding any interaction with Frost's blasts. The battle was on Piccolo's side until Frost began firing doubles, eventually hitting the Namek straight through the knee and messing up his charge.

 _Damn, so it's going to be like that... I need to find a way to distract him for awhile._

Frost shook his head in disappointment when Piccolo began to charge that same attack once again. He got as close as possible to his opponent and blasted his chest, only for the other fighter to disappear.

"What the..."

All around him, Piccolos were popping up everywhere. He had made clones of himself to distract the Universe Six cheater so he could send him into oblivion with a beam strong enough to avenge Bardock.

While Frost attacked all the copies like a rabid animal, Champa was screaming out for a disqualification for cheating.

"That's real funny considering..." Jaco snickered.

Piccolo had misjudged the speed of Frost, who had already defeated all the clones save one. His next string hit the real Piccolo on the face, messing up the special beam cannon once again and sending him close to the edge of the ring. The sneak then proceeded to smirk and aim his wrist close to the Namek's heart but not directly on it like his last mistake.

"That's the funny thing about willpower..." Frost's grin held no innocence like he fooled the others into believing. "It makes you do crazy things."

Once Piccolo was struck, his world had become blurred. He spun backwards until falling off the ring, unconscious. Gohan had quickly joined his side, checking for a pulse and nearly crying realizing he was still alive unlike Bardock was. The referee, despite the boos, held the proud Frost's hand up high.

"I declare Frost the-"

"HOLD IT! FROST IS A NO GOOD CHEATER!

There was a loud gasp from both sides of the stage as all eyes settled on Jaco. His yellow observant eyes had caught sight of something that nobody else could possibly see.

"If you search his arm, I am sure you will find the weapon!" Jaco pointed an accusing finger down at the tournament stage, earning a huge uproar from Universe Six's side.

"Why are you trying to besmirch an innocent man's name like that!?" Cabba called out. "We fought alongside each other to save Planet Mayonaise from destruction! He's a good person and I won't believe for one second he would do something like that!"

Jaco crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his nose up. Like it mattered what that scrawny little Saiyan thought.

"If he gets searched and nothing is found, I'll destroy you on the spot!"

Jaco was sweating now. He looked in the direction of where the voice was coming from and could see Champa waving his meaty fist in the air. "Oh, uh..nevermind then..." As the Galactic Patrolman was backing up, he bumped into another God of Destruction who nudged him forward.

"Go ahead and check him! Who cares if this little man gets destroyed!"

After just a few seconds of searching Frost's body, the referee had grown dizzy just like Bardock and Piccolo had done. He fell to his feet until strong enough to regain consciousness again.

Everyone was so caught up in the dramatics of what that cheater Frost had done that they all forgot that Bardock had died. At least, that's what Goten gathered. He looked at the picture of his grandpa's grumpy face on Universe Seven's side. He never did smile in pictures. The pre-teen looked to the stars, trying to fight his tears.

Whis had said Bardock was somewhere else, but where? In what time period? Was he with another Goten, another Mama, another Gohan? Was he having fun? Was he safe? How would anyone ever know?

"Grandpa..." Goten sniffed, and wiped his nose with his wrist. Between Frieza and training, the grandson didn't correctly cherish the time they had together. He could have stolen him a bigger piece of Mama's pie. He could have surprised him at work. He could have...

He could have asked Shenron for a better wish. Goten was the cause of this entire mess.

It was the worst feeling he ever had.

"Grandpa... I swear on everything I have, I'll save you again..."

* * *

When his eye lids had shut tightly, Bardock could see the cottage that had been expanded for the continuously growing family. Chi-Chi was in the window sill, waving her tiny fist at Goten as he snuck off with a piece of pie for his grandpa. Goku had fallen asleep under his favorite tree after listening to Gohan explain his lesson plans for the week. Videl was walking out to get her car to get Pan's favorite teddy bear that had been left on the seat. Gine had her arms wrapped around Bardock's neck while they looked up at the clouds, focusing on the different shapes until Goten screamed that the pie heist had been successful.

That is why it was so agonizing to the Saiyan's completely existing heart when he opened his eyes. What was once his home was nothing save Grandpa Gohan's shed, and even that was barely recognizable. Back in his world, Mount Paozu was lively at night. The skies weren't dark thanks to the illumination of the trillion stars. Owls would hoot and wolves would howl. One could never feel completely alone even in such a secluded area.

But everything Bardock saw in this world was gray and black, just like the bastard who caused all of this destruction.

Becoming aware of his slowed breathing, Bardock ended up at where the door of the cottage would be. He looked down at the mess beneath him, realizing that the rubble still contained Chi-Chi's belongings. He kicked up a piece of the roof to reveal some of her dresses. He continued to kick the pieces, gently at first until reality was setting in.

Black had murdered her.

There were traces of blood on the cracked tiles, and her father's horned helmet on top of another section of dried blood.

His formally calm demeanor slowly changed and his face contoured into an all-consuming. His nostrils flared. His eyes were flashing and closing into slits. His mouth quivered as unintelligible and slurred profanity spewed into the darkened sky. Like a deadly yellow flame, his hair flared up the moment his bare chest rose. He opened both of his palms and began firing ki blasts at the remnants of his home, ignoring the swelling of his eyes and the aching of his ribs.

"I don't blame you. This was the most hideous domicile I had ever seen in my life time."

Black chuckled darkly when Bardock's blast had grazed his cheek. He licked his lips at the sensation of it and landed on the grass soundlessly. If the ascended Super Saiyan's eyes were weapons, the piercing greens would cause serious destruction. He was acting as if someone had entered _his_ territory. Black smiled coldly recalling what had happened at this location.

"Oh, my apologies. Were they your companions?" He sniffed the air proudly, inhaling the scent of fresh ashes where he had just come from. When his eyes opened, they were greeted by the Saiyan's uppercut. Black's head was bent backward while he sighed lightly. "It wasn't very fun. They didn't put up much of a fight."

Bardock forced up to stand up straight by locking a large hand around his neck. He could see his unrecognizable reflection in the enemy's earring. It only made him squeeze Black's neck tighter. "You're the most pathetic piece of shit I've ever known and we just met. Where's the pride in defeating those who can never stand a chance against you!?"

The body snatcher placed his arms behind his head, leaving himself completely open for whatever Bardock was going to do. The choke wasn't affecting his voice in the slightest. "Annihilating the universe of Earthlings is the most beautiful form of justice... And doing it twice to that woman just _felt so right_."

Bardock held in a breath when Black's dark eyes had grown wild. He released his neck, not leaving a single sign of struggle on his skin. The glowing, electrifying aura of Bardock was the only light in a dark, bleak world and it made the only sound in Mount Paozu.

"Twice?"

Black's smug face made it seem that he held all the cards in this match, but he wasn't going to go straight in the for the kill. He wanted to draw out Bardock's lovely demise. He pointed to the ring on his finger and tapped it twice.

"Let's just say I've gone to a couple different timelines in my day. Right before I killed her here, I rid another world of her and that spawn of hers. You know... He favors you. Sorry, _favored_."

Cackling thunder louder than anyone on Mount Paozu had ever heard erupted in the sky while flashes of lightning joined in on the raging storm. Bardock's heart was beating faster, pushing more blood to different parts of his body. The adrenaline that he wanted to release on the physical form of the devil was causing his muscles to strengthen and his attention to become completely focused on who he was going to kill.

Black had not only taken Chi-Chi's life twice, but he had taken Goten's as well.

Nothing was more unforgivable.

"You...bastard...Now you've done it..."

Black's wild eyes shined when Bardock's words matched the rhythm of his body transformation. The ground around them became overwhelmed with tremors as the thunder and lightning rocked the sky. The warrior didn't give a second thought to the demise of his daughter-in-law and grandson. Just hearing it once was enough to make the rage of a million Saiyan spirits course through his veins like it did during his battle with Frieza, only this time much more violent and powerful.

Bardock was too rage driven for his chest to ache for their loss. The target that his glowing red eye and icy blue eye had locked onto was going to pay for everything he had done.

Black took in the new appearance, feeling disgusted with the hideous mixture of blue and red hair but intrigued by the power he was sensing. It was going to give him everything he needed.

Not paying attention to the fact he had his son's face, Bardock sent Black flying backwards through the forest with a swift roundhouse to the same neck he was strangling earlier. The two broke through a series of dead trees with Bardock being the superior. The Saiyan warrior came down on his opponent hard with clenched fists in an axe-handle, knocking him down to the ground and forming a crater. Bardock met him and continued to beat his son's body with everything he had in him, not losing sight of what the monster had done. Each blow caused the crater to become bigger and bigger.

Black was wincing with his eyes closed as if he were truly in pain, but ended the charade as soon as Bardock had given him what he needed. He looked at his playmate through one eye and a knowing smirk. The one in the older body hadn't caught it as he was rising in the air above the crater, charging up a rage fueled Kamehameha wave.

"HERE! A GIFT FROM MY GRANDSON TO YOU!"

Pulling the two large hands from his side, Bardock released the radiant blue colored power beam down on the murderous bastard. He was giving everything he had to Black to the point that his broken ribs felt healed from the power. With a heaving chest after the attack had done its job, Bardock looked down at the crater to find absolutely nothing there.

But...

"I have a gift for you as well."

Before Bardock get a glimpse of his assailant, there was a sound of ripping. Not of cloth, not of paper. It was of flesh being torn apart. He couldn't feel the pain from the previous adrenaline in his body, and instead was sent into shock at the sight of his detached arm being dropped to the ground. Black had done the same to the rest of his body and placed his white boot on Bardock's neck like he had done to the soldier he murdered earlier.

"This is going to be my greatest act of justice. Ridding the world of a mortal as revolting as you."

Bardock's shoulder felt wet and numb until exploded like a bomb inside of him. His face was buried in the dirt, but his peripheral had the perfect view of his arm. Every beat of his pulse was a hammer banging on a wound. How could Black have done this? How could he have moved so fast from that spot? How could his power have grown so much in the little amount of time they battled?

Before Black could obliterate yet another worthless opponent, he had become blinded by smoke. That foolish Saiyan had done a dirty trick to escape death once again. Not only that, but he had taken what should have been his kill. Trunks had meddled in his plan and survived for the last time.

"Mark my words... Next time I find you, you're going to have the most painful death of all."

"Hang in there, Bardock! I'm not going to let you die on me!"

His prey were too far out of the woods to hear his threat. The proud Saiyan warrior would have been ashamed to be slumped over the shoulder of his only companion in this Earth, but the throbbing of where his arm use to be was all he could focus on. The blood from the nub had drenched Trunks' shoulder as the brave hero traveled at a speed as fast as he could muster. The hair of the full blooded Saiyan had returned back to its normal black, signaling the complete draining of his energy.

"Come on, Bardock!" Trunks cried out and gave his body a hard squeeze. "Stay with me! Focus on something besides the pain, it's the only way to survive in my world!"

Bardock's vision was becoming hazy. What the sword wielder was saying was easier said than done. The agonizing pain was too much to bare. Black got instantly stronger with each critical hit. He thrived off of the strength of others. He absorbed the Kamehameha wave and used it to his advantage.

Not even Kakarot stood a chance.

Black had claimed another victim, who was preparing to face death for the third time.

 _"Well, I don't really know! I guess I feel really, really happy when you're around! And when I think about losing you, I have to stop myself because it hurts so much and I don't ever want that to happen! Besides Trunks, you're my best friend!"_

"Go...ten..."

Becoming delirious, Bardock was suddenly watching himself talk to Goten inside his bedroom. It was after Goten had wished Bardock's curse to end so he could stay with the family forever. The irony of it all would have been hilarious if Bardock had any life left in him at all.

 _"Is that how you really feel?"_

 _"Yes, Grandpa! I love you!"_

 _"Then... I love you, too."_

The shredded Saiyan reached his only hand towards the image of his grandson wrapping his arms around his neck. The two were embracing one another. His grandson. His Goten. The one who helped him discover that he had a heart. Bardock could feel it aching at the sight of one of the memories he prayed would never be forgotten as life went on.

But the door had burst open, shattering the memory. Black was standing in the doorway, and without a word vaporized the innocent child into nothing. Bardock helplessly screamed out at his image to do something, to kill the body snatcher. Instead, he watched as Black vanished and the illusion of himself fall onto the floor while looking on in disbelief at his arms that Goten was no longer in them.

He had lost something he loved more than himself.

A sound that Trunks could only describe as a mixture of grief and despair escaped Bardock's throat. The scream was tugging at Trunks' heartstrings, recognizing it was the same one he released when he found Gohan dead in the rain.

Bardock had become swollen with emotions realizing the fate of his grandson in a different timeline, one where Bardock didn't even exist. Once Black was done here, what wouldn't stop him from traveling to the world Bardock knows and...

Everything that gave his life purpose would be gone.

His eyes began to bleed with pain. Trunks could feel a great tremor overtaking the broken Saiyan's body. While Vegeta's son was looking forward to the entrance of the underground refugee camp, Bardock was looking back at his grandson choking on an apple until Grandpa saved him. The child was so thankful to be alive that he gave the most loving death grip to Bardock's neck.

 _"Thank you, Mr. Bardock! Thank you! You saved my life!"_

"GOTEN!" The resilient warrior screamed at his memories. His eyes had become blind by the stinging tears. Already in Hell, Bardock's fate was to keep on going. "GOTEN! I SWEAR ON EVERYTHING I HAVE, I _WILL_ SAVE YOU AGAIN!"


End file.
